Potter Girls
by Theodora Snowbird
Summary: AU based on Gilmore Girls with Harry Potter characters, FEM!Harry x Draco, no Voldemort, Lily and James are alive. Draco and Kat grew up best friends. At 16, Kat got pregnant with their daughter Rory. She grew up. Draco didn't. Sixteen years later, he's finally realized he has to if he wants to truly be part of his family.
1. I Want to Marry You

Chapter 1 I Want to Marry You

Draco closed his eyes as he listened to his father drone on during the meeting. If he was honest with himself, he would say that he often feel asleep during meetings. This time however, he didn't want to look at the letter before him.

Aurora had his brain and Katherine's combined, clearly. Severus Snape, the Potions Master who could cure even the Darkest of curses, was considering her for an apprenticeship. He wanted to know more about Draco's daughter.

This was a huge honor. Snape was the most prestigious wizard in Europe that one could earn an apprenticeship from. Draco should be writing parchment scroll after parchment scroll about how great his daughter was. He should say what her favorite subject was, her greatest accomplishment, why she was interested in using potions to fight the Dark Arts. The only problem was that Draco had the answer to none of those questions.

He didn't even know that she had gotten NEWTs in Potions and Defense. He had assumed, but he didn't actually know for sure. What else was she taking?

"Am I boring you, Draco?" Father drawled when he didn't pick up on the silence. Someone must have asked a question.

Draco jumped and opened his eyes to see all the board members staring at him. Well, at least he'd only have to say it once. "I quit."

* * *

"How could you?" Mother said weakly when he returned home to find Father still screaming. Pansy didn't want to deal with Draco either. "You embarrassed—"

"Embarrassed?" Father yelled. "Embarrassed isn't a strong enough word to describe what you have done! We have built our entire lives—"

"I miss Rory," he said thickly. Four glasses of wine would do that to a bloke.

His parents stilled at the name of their granddaughter. They always tensed and changed the subject when she was brought up. However he could never remember saying he missed her except as a casual afterthought during a less serious holiday like Halloween.

Father frowned. "Is it her birthday?"

"Her birthday is in May." Mother said with grief instead of anger that Father was off by a good seven months. Draco wondered if she even knew the exact date.

"Then what's the issue?" Father asked. "Because—"

"Because she's my daughter!" he snapped. "She's my daughter, and I barely know her!"

Father rolled his eyes. "You see her what? At least ten times a year. Katherine chose to keep her, not you. It is not your—"

"She kept her because I wanted her to," Draco admitted for the first time in over seventeen years. Katherine was so scared that she had wanted to terminate. He told her to do what was best and not to act out of fear. She took his words to heart. He himself didn't. "She was scared, and I knew she would regret it—"

"Are you insane?" Father asked incredulously.

"Lucius!" Mother started to cry. Draco knew that she loved Rory but felt that her birth ruined his life, even though he turned out exactly like they wanted him to.

"Shut up, Narcissa!" Father thundered. "This is about Pansy, isn't it? She made her choice—"

"This is about my daughter!" he yelled. "I left her for this! For a bloody company—"

"We can't all be maids." Father laughed bitterly. "She probably bought that house through government assistance."

Draco thinned his lips. Katherine wouldn't even accept money from _him_. She worked for everything she had, including their daughter. "I'm leaving."

* * *

Mother knocked on his door as he was packing his things. She always was the peacekeeper. Draco turned to see her with some sort of scrapbook. "You don't have to go, Draco. We could—"

"It's a Hogsmeade weekend." He needed to see Aurora as soon as possible.

"Oh." Mother tried to smile and then handed him the book. It was a photo album. "I know you think that we don't care for her…"

Draco opened it to see picture after picture of Aurora's infancy. He knew for a fact that most of these pictures were taken by James Potter, but the fact that they had them… Draco ran his finger over the picture of him holding Aurora the day she was born. He looked so scared. "Do you ever look at them?"

Mother hummed and nodded before turning back a few pages. "Do you remember this? It was the summer before…"

She couldn't even finish the sentence. It was the summer before Katherine got pregnant. The Potter's hosted a ball for her sixteenth birthday, her coming out party. Traditionally, she would dance with different wizards, dating back to when there were still marriage contracts. Then, they would ask her parents to court her. Katherine only danced with him that night.

They had very strongly resembled the couples that they used to make fun of. Draco could barely keep his face a few inches from hers, while Katherine was smiling so much she looked like her face was going to split. In the background, he could even see Lily holding James back from trying to cut in.

Now, they barely kissed. They occasionally had sex when they knew Aurora was sleeping.

"I told Lucius to start planning the wedding that night," Mother said, almost dreamily. "We thought for sure you would propose soon after graduation…"

Instead, he got a crib for his graduation present. His parents were finally willing to let his one year old sleep over from time to time. But not Katherine, meaning it only happened once, when Katherine had the flu and didn't want her daughter to catch it.

Draco wiped his eyes, even though he hadn't truly realized he was crying. "I messed up, Mum."

"The two of you should have gotten married." Mother shook her head, still offended that sixteen year old Katherine was too overwhelmed with motherhood to throw a teenage marriage on top of it. "Is there anything we can do to get you to stay, Draco? I could talk to Pansy."

"I'm not staying," Draco said firmly. He flipped half a dozen pages and stopped at a photo of him and Katherine giving an eight month old Aurora a bubble bath. "This is where I should have been. I have to set things right."

"No." Mother sighed tiredly. "We do. Do you think… we could meet her?"

Draco could never say no to his parents, especially over something like this. They could finally set things right. "Yes."

* * *

Even though he often treated it like a bed and breakfast, Katherine's house always felt like home. Therefore, Draco had no problem showing up unannounced. He even threw his suitcase in her room as she snored the morning away.

For nearly an hour, he sat at her kitchen table, trying to act like nothing was wrong when everything was. Normally, he would have slipped into bed with her. She would have sleepily moaned and tangled her legs in his. Then the real fun would begin.

"What are you doing here?" she said in surprise as she stumbled into her kitchen. He was forcing himself to eat breakfast and read the paper like nothing was wrong. Maybe he didn't have to say anything. He could just never leave.

He raised his eyebrows, trying to act like she was the odd one. "It's a Hogsmeade weekend."

"And?" They hadn't seen each other since the summer. She had every right to be curious. It was late fall.

"And I want to see my daughter. And my…" Where they even together anymore? Draco never considered them "broke up," but he knew Katherine had boyfriends, just like he had had girlfriends. What were they? "Katherine."

"Gee thanks, my Draco." Her eyes became a bit distant as she thought about the general awkwardness that was their lives before she yawned and started heading for the coffee pot. "I usually don't go until noon during my lunch break."

"Take the day off." She worked too much. And as much as he hated to admit it, it wasn't often that he spent the entire day with Aurora. His daughter wasn't a kid anymore, and he was almost afraid to be alone with her. Aurora was old enough to know this wasn't normal.

Katherine smiled to herself and closed her eyes as she took a whiff of the fresh coffee she was making. He got the strange vibe that she was laughing at him. "I have the day off next Hogsmeade weekend. Sorry, Drakey Poo."

"I'll be there." Because he was unemployed… How long before she noticed that he wasn't leaving anytime soon? Draco tried to think of the longest he had ever stayed. Once, he stayed from Christmas to the New Year. Other than that… And it was nowhere near Christmas.

Katherine pursed her lips, clearly not believing him. "Oh? Taking some time off work?"

 _You could say that,_ he thought to himself. Draco took a deep breath, wanting desperately to tell her everything. When they were kids, he felt like he could. Now, he felt like he was still a kid, and she was the grown up who would frown at him for being so irresponsible. "My parents wanted to have dinner with you, your parents, and Aurora tomorrow night."

Katherine nearly choked on her coffee. The mug tumbled for a moment in her hands. "Are they dying?"

Draco rolled his eyes. Mother acted like she was. "No. Magic hasn't found a way to destroy such evil."

"No, I mean it," Katherine started rambling. "Because I thought the last I'd see of them would be Lucius flipping me off on his death bed, and Narcissa never wanting to see me again for ruining her son's life and her husband's death."

"Katherine." He wanted everything to be as it should be. His parents should be in Aurora's life, as he should be. "You've never stopped me from seeing Aurora, no matter how mad you've been at me. I'm hoping the same curtsey extends to my parents."

"Sly Slytherin," Katherine mumbled. She wanted to say no so badly that he could feel it. "You'll have to ask Rory, Draco. I haven't really known what to tell her about them over the years, so I'm not sure what she thinks of them."

Draco sighed. The easy part was over. "Thank you."

* * *

"Dad!" Aurora had a boy with her, and Draco felt himself involuntarily become rigid. She was sixteen. Just like he and Katherine were. "I didn't know you were coming!"

"Yes." Draco narrowed his eyes at the _boy._ A scrawny little thing. A scrawny little boy that would destroy his daughter's life. She was too young, just like they were. "Who's your _friend?_ "

"Prescott Weasley." Draco forced himself to shake the boy's hand. Since when was Aurora interested in dating? Last year, she was still asking him, her father, to be her Valentine. "Rory and I were discussing the cauldrons for Potions Club. Not all of them are up to the Ministry's regulations."

"Draco's family owns a broom making company," Katherine said lightly when it became clear Draco only wanted stare the boy down. "Do you know anything about those, Pres?"

"Loads. Did you know that the Ministry is thinking of setting an age restriction on Firebolts?" When the boy pushed his glasses up, Aurora smiled like she thought he was being cute. Katherine smiled too, adoring both of them.

"Yes." Draco clenched his teeth together, trying not to yell that Aurora was not allowed to date. "Yes, I do."

As the boy droned on and one, Draco couldn't help but remember when he was sixteen. The memory only made him angrier at Aurora's _boyfriend_.

 _Draco hooked his arm around Katherine's waist when she tried to sneak out of his bed at four in the morning. "You need to lay off the chocolate frogs," he growled in her ear, grinning as he waited for her elbow him in the stomach. Instead she tensed and turned to face him. "I'm joking! You were the one complaining at dinner that your skirt didn't fit."_

 _Her eyes filled with tears as he ran his finger over the indentation from the buttons on her stomach. "I…"_

 _"I'm sorry." He didn't sound sorry at all. He was just sore that she didn't want to sleep in his bed until breakfast. Honestly, she looked…_

 _"I think I'm pregnant."_

 _Draco sat up. His blood ran cold. "What?"_

 _"I haven't gotten my period in three months," she whispered._

 _"Three months," he repeated. "And you're just saying something now?! What are we going to do?!"_

 _Oddly enough, his words didn't comfort her. Katherine put her face in her hands and started crying hysterically. He pulled her into a hug, and she continued to cry into the late morning. What were they going to do?_

"I almost forgot!" The little bastard threw a few sickles on the table to cover their meal. "Hermione Granger is doing a book signing! I have to go!"

"Thank Merlin!" Draco didn't care if the boy heard. Aurora did not deserve to feel the same fear he and Katherine felt. She shouldn't be dating. "Aurora, what the hell was that?"

"Prescott Weasley," she said stiffly. She had every right to be angry, but Draco felt like he was on the verge of a panic attack. He was finally willing to take responsibility, and he felt like a scared sixteen year old again. "My boyfriend. And you shouldn't be rude to him, Dad. He's very nice."

"I didn't know Professor Binns was capable of procreation," he tried to joke. Aurora only glared at him, but he couldn't help it. He desperately wanted to flee and was forcing himself not to. "Guess what, kiddo?" At least that earned him a smile. "My parents are going to be joining us for Sunday dinner."

Her face fell. "What?"

"They want to meet you. The last time they saw you, you were still in nappies." Draco forced himself to smile, despite the reason why they hadn't seen her in so long.

"Oh…" Aurora glanced at Katherine, wanting her mother to save her. Unfortunately for her, Katherine was a doormat when it came to Malfoys. And he took advantage of it every chance he got. "It's such short notice…"

"They'll be at dinner with Lily and James. So you won't have to go out of your way." Draco suddenly felt guilty as fear flickered in his daughter's grey eyes. He wondered what she thought about his parents. Aurora was too kind to tell him.

As he predicted, she put on a bright, fake smile. "Okay."

* * *

 _"Mum." Draco felt anxiety squeezing his chest. Katherine sent him a small note after dinner last night._ They know. _"I… I don't think I want to go to the Potter's Yule Ball…"_

 _Mother was the easy one. She looked at him with concern and felt his forehead. That's how rare it was for him to not want to be around Katherine. "Did the two of you fight? You didn't break up, did you?"_

 _Father snorted and started digging into his breakfast. "That'll be the day."_

 _"The two of you are young." But Mother was already looking devastated. Wait until she learned the truth. "One day, when you're both older and ready…"_

 _"We didn't break up." Draco gulped. His throat felt dry, but he was too afraid of being sick to drink anything. He had to tell them. Because if they went without him… He was actually surprised the Manor wasn't flooded with howlers. "We… We're going to have a baby."_

 _"Excuse me?" Mother said breathlessly. Father stopped with his fork halfway to his mouth. He voice was quieter than a whisper, so she was clinging to the hope that she heard him wrong. "What did you just say, Draco?"_

 _"We're going to have a baby." He felt the tears already start to tumble out of his eyes._

 _"No." Mother shook her head quickly. "No. You are not. This isn't funny, Draco. Far from it."_

 _"She's pregnant."_ Don't make me say it again, _he pleaded in his head._

 _"She will terminate." Before this moment, he had never seen his father look scared, ever. "It'll be over quickly. She'll be sad for a while, Draco, but…"_

 _He had felt the baby kick for the first time on the train ride home. Draco dug his nails into his palms. "It's too late."_

 _"Shut up, Narcissa!" Mother had started to cry rather loudly. Father's eyes widened with panic, and he did the only thing he knew, throw money at a problem to make it go away. "We'll find a healer willing."_

 _Draco didn't say anything when Father rose from his seat to start quietly donating to St. Mungo's. Mother eventually ran off to cry by herself. He had never felt more alone._

* * *

"Meet the people who resent me for being born?" Aurora snapped. Draco had brought home dinner to find Katherine arguing with their daughter through the fireplace. "And who does Dad think he is? Prescott is a good boyfriend! He was the type your parents would forbid you from seeing when you were sixteen. Hell, he still is!"

Well, he supposed he deserved that one. "He just worries." Katherine was always on his side. For once, it made him sick to his stomach. Aurora was right. "When I was your age—"

"You were four months pregnant. I _know_." Aurora rolled her eyes, annoyed at what Draco was sure was a constant lecture for the poor girl since she had entered puberty. "Because of him!"

"Just give it one meal. If it goes badly, then your dad will understand if you don't want to see them."

"And not speak to me for six months!" Aurora yelled. Draco couldn't ever recall being angry with her. Instead, he often got embarrassed because of how little he knew her. He never thought she would think he was angry with her. "I'm like a toy to him! He only sees me when he wants to play! And then when things get too hard, he bolts. Why do you give him equal say in my life?"

"He's your father," Katherine insisted. At least someone thought so.

Aurora sneered and then laughed. "Has he ever been?"

"Aurora Katherine," her mother lectured. "He loves you so much—"

"He loves himself more!" Ouch. She was never given a reason to think otherwise. "I'm not going to smile and act like Lucius and Narcissa are my grandparents. And I certainly am not going to let the Malfoys push me around like you do!"

And like that, Aurora was gone. Katherine groaned and hung her head before stepping away from the fireplace, only to see his horror stricken face. "When did you walk in?"

"At 'meet the people who resent me for being born?'" He couldn't even deny her words. His parents barely even spoke his daughter's name.

"I'm sorry," Katherine whispered. She actually looked guilty, and even though he knew it wasn't her fault, Draco found it easier to blame her than to tell the truth. He was a terrible father.

"You didn't want to get married," he accused. Just like Pansy. Neither of them thought he was husband material.

"We wouldn't have made it. We were sixteen." How many times did he have to hear it? He was responsible for a lot, like why they weren't married now, but he didn't think that they wouldn't have made it just because they were sixteen. They could've been happy now.

"I love you!" Why hadn't that been enough? For either of them? "And you pushed me away!"

Katherine's face flushed with anger, causing Draco to realize that for the first time, he pushed her over the edge. "How the hell did I push you away?! I've given you chance after chance while our daughter kept getting her hopes up that one of your long weekends with us would last forever! You could never even tell her when you were coming back unless her birthday was near! Because it was whenever you felt like it, Draco! It's always been whenever you felt like it!"

"You left too!" he couldn't help but shout. "I come back from France, and your parents say you ran off to be a maid in a bloody hotel!"

"Three months after you said you would!" Katherine screamed as she tried not to cry. "You expected me to wait! I wanted to be her mum! I didn't want to go to college and let the house elves take care of her for four years! After I went back to Hogwarts! I didn't want her to feel like a mistake! You were gone for months! If I stayed, she would've been practically raised by her grandparents and house elves."

"So now it's my fault?" he yelled. He was angry because what she was saying was true. "I wanted us to be a family! You never invited me to this happy little life you've made with her! Face it! You wanted her all to yourself!"

Those were Mother's words, not his own. _She's always been too attached to the girl and threw her life away because of that over attachment._ He never took the time to think about it. It was too easy to let Katherine do everything, and Katherine loved Aurora so much that she was more than willing to.

Katherine finally allowed herself to cry. Her words hit him just as hard as he wanted his words to hurt her. "Why did you need an invitation?"

Draco tensed. Why _did_ he need an invitation? Because deep down, he was still sixteen, still too afraid to grow up. So he did what he did best. He left.

* * *

And then he did what he did second best. Return and act like nothing happened. He even brought Aurora's favorite dessert, strawberry shortcake. Something that always annoyed Lily Potter, who hated his guts ever since Katherine was nearly five months pregnant.

"You know I've been preparing for this all evening." Katherine's mother tsked and shook her head, glaring at the cake that Aurora was going to choose over whatever she was serving. "Like I have ever forgotten dessert on a Sunday evening…"

James Potter had his back to Draco's parents. He was preparing drinks at the liquor cart, something Draco had never seen him do. It was always the house elves' job. He must really not want to look at his parents.

But James cracked a smile at the sight of him. He stopped hating Draco the moment Aurora was born. As much of a fuck up that he was, he gave James Aurora. Therefore, James couldn't bring himself to hate him. They even wrote from time to time.

"Oh my goodness!" He winced at the sound of his mother's voice. "You look just like me! Look at her, Lucius!"

"I see her, Narcissa." Father sounded bored, but Draco saw him fiddle with his wedding ring, the only sign that he was nervous.

"Absolutely gorgeous!" Well, she didn't have the name Narcissa for nothing. Draco thought they looked nothing alike. "Draco! Why didn't you say anything?"

"Her face is more Katherine…" But now that she was getting angry, Draco saw a bit more of his mother in his daughter. They were both women who were not to be messed with.

"Mum sent pictures. All the time. You never looked at them?" Aurora asked hotly.

"How's the hotel, Katherine?" Father drawled. That ring was about to wear his skin off. "Clean?"

"I manage it now," Katherine said flatly. She and Father hated each other with every fiber of their being.

"Really?" Father said, doing his best to sound bored. Draco thought he sounded more shocked than anything else. "They let someone without basic education run it?"

"And who's fault is that?" James was finally ready to fight.

Draco winced as Father raised his eyebrows. To this day, he still thought that Katherine should have had an abortion. And he wasn't shy about saying it either. Draco held his breath when Father glanced at Aurora. "If she hadn't chosen to breast feed, she could have finished with Draco."

"Guess who is applying for an apprenticeship with Severus Snape?" Lily boasted out of nowhere. "He doesn't take applications from just anyone, you know."

"Good thing she doesn't look like you," Father muttered. Mother slapped him on the shoulder, but Draco had no idea what he was talking about. "What?"

"This is why he's acting like this!" Mother hissed. Katherine frowned at Draco, who decided the best option was to study his shoes. They went to school with Pansy, who used to whisper jokes whenever Katherine passed her in the hallway sixth year. Oh the irony...

"Alright, what's up?" James Potter may have made his peace with Draco, but his parents were another story. "The only reason you're here is because I thought my granddaughter was going to get an apology. If that isn't the case, you can leave."

Silence. Aurora looked down on his parents with an expression that only a Malfoy could manage. Katherine was getting paler by the second. She knew what was coming.

"Apologize?" Father was absolutely livid, causing Mother to start crying. Draco wondered if it was for Aurora or for her son. "Shut up, Narcissa! Katherine should apologize! She ruined Draco's chances of becoming an alchemist! She hid her pregnancy until it was too late!"

His parents didn't want him to be an alchemist. They often erupted into laughter when he brought it up as a kid. They wanted him to follow in his father's footsteps, which he did.

"GET OUT!" James screamed. Katherine froze as he pulled Father towards him by his jacket, causing Mother to shriek as James drew back his fist.

Father couldn't take it anymore. There was only one reason his parents were humoring him with the idea of getting involved in Aurora's life again. "YOU ARE MARRYING PANSY PARKINSON, AND THAT'S FINAL!"

* * *

"You are the _best_ thing that ever happened to me." Katherine cupped their daughter's face in her hands the next morning, and Aurora sunk into her arms. She had ran off in the middle of last night's events. Draco hadn't even noticed.

In fact, he was so low right now that he was stooping to listening in on the steps. He even had on Katherine's invisibility cloak.

"I just…" Aurora was too confident for the quiet, mousy voice she currently had. Or so, Draco thought. "I just thought if I went, maybe he would want to stay. Nothing I ever do makes him want to stay…"

"Rory." Katherine rested her chin on Aurora's head, so she wouldn't see her glistening eyes. "Don't do that to yourself."

"You do." Oh God…

"I want better for you," Katherine said quietly. "I guess I have a funny way of showing it…"

Aurora pulled away and wiped her eyes. "I have to go back to school."

* * *

 _"How are you feeling?" Draco asked nervously. Katherine was leaving school at the end of April. It was better, he supposed. People were constantly staring, which didn't bother her unless she heard a laugh._

 _"Just peachy." She took a deep breath and groaned at all the stairs she had left before she could head upstairs to bed. "Seriously? I can't be the first idiot to get up the duff at school. McGonagall probably picked a House location with all these stairs for that reason."_

 _"Yes. I'm sure Dumbledore let her move Gryffindor's House location that has been in the same place for hundreds of year just because McGonagall felt judgmental." Draco put a hand at the small of her aching back and was tempted to tell her to crack open a book so that she would know that Gryffindor Tower had always been Gryffindor_ Tower _. "Skip class tomorrow. I'll bring you your notes and food."_

 _Katherine turned to him and smirked. "Tomorrow's Saturday."_

 _"Oh." Two weeks. He had two weeks before she left. He couldn't remember ever not seeing her every day._

 _Sometimes she could read his mind. Others he could be balling his eyes out, and she would think he was mad at her. Katherine bit her lip. "I'll be back in September," she lied. Well, at the time she didn't know it was a lie. She didn't know how fiercely she would love her baby. "Then you'll want to send me back to the sprog in a box."_

 _"No, I won't." He did his best to swallow back tears. His parents didn't want him seeing her on the weekends before the baby. Her parents didn't want him to see her period. "I want to get married."_

 _Katherine's eyes widened, and she put her hands over her belly, the reason why she was always near tears, always overwhelmed. "You can't do this to me. This is too much! You can't—"_

 _"Katherine!" She always wanted to bolt when things got too hard. In less than a month, neither of them knew that he would be the one who always wanted to bolt. "I-I love you! We'll be a family—"_

 _"We won't make it." Everyone said that. They couldn't disagree on where to eat in Hogsmeade without rumors flying around that they had broken up. But this was the first time he heard it from Katherine. "Not like this. We're having a baby. Our parents hate us. My parents don't even want you over when its born! And you want to throw marriage into the ring?"_

 _"If we're married," he pressed, "our parents won't be so angry. Your dad told me not to abandon you."_

 _"No." She sniffled and started walking away as fast as she could in her state. "I'm not getting married because I have to. As some insurance policy that you won't bail on me! Fuck you!"_

At that moment, Draco remembered being so angry with her that he barely spoke to her for the two weeks that they had left. They weren't alone together for over two years after Aurora came. And that was only because Katherine ran away.

Now that he was sixteen years older, he wished he had chased after her, that he had promised that he wouldn't abandon her. But that would've been a lie, wouldn't it?

"If I knew you were engaged, I wouldn't have slept with you this summer." Katherine shivered and drew her mug closer to her. Draco wanted to hug her but felt like he couldn't.

"I'm not engaged." Because Pansy also said no. She saw right through him as well. He didn't love her. He had just wanted to please his parents. He had never even intended to tell Katherine, if she had said yes. "Severus contacted me about Rory's apprenticeship. He wanted to know more about her, and I realized that I couldn't tell him much."

That was the final nail on the coffin. When he bought that ring, all he could think about was how it wasn't Katherine's taste, that they should be married with more kids than he could count right now. Instead, he didn't even know his only daughter.

"She's just like you," Kat said thickly, holding back tears. "You haven't even noticed."

"Then I guess she's never going to forgive me." He wouldn't have forgiven his father. Lucius was cold and distant, but at least he knew his son. Draco never thought that he would be a worse father than his own.

"She'll forgive you if you talk to her, Draco. Because she knows how much of a big deal that would be for you." Katherine was always trying to make things right. She always wanted him to be a real father, and he ignored her. For what? Money? Lack of responsibility? No. He just didn't want to face his own fears. Being a distant friend was easier than being a father.

"Can I stay here for Christmas hols?" Draco asked when he really wanted to ask _Can I stay forever?_

Katherine looked at him long and hard. She was going to say no. He just knew it. It was already too late. "You can sleep on the couch."

Draco almost laughed, although he wanted to scream with nerves. But she didn't say no. This time, she didn't say no. She was giving him a real chance, not just with Rory but with her, for the first time since they were kids.

"I guess I'll have to get used to that." For a moment, he could see it, like he could when they were kids. He could see a future with her, a fairy tale future. This time, he eouldn't tease her about laying off the chocolate frogs when they were fooling around in bed, and she wouldn't drop a bombshell that would send his whole world crashing down.

He had to be brave. For once, he had to be brave. If not, he would lose her forever. Katherine was out of chances. "Because I don't want to marry Pansy. I want to marry you."

 **Happy Valentine's Day! This was one of my poll choices, and although its losing, watching** _ **Gilmore Girls**_ **with my mom made me want to publish the first chapter. If you want to see this chapter from Katherine's point of view, read chapter 18 in my story** _ **Katherine the Great.**_

 **I don't think it would make sense to list this ask as a crossover, but let me know if it should be.**

 **Any** _ **Gilmore Girls**_ **fans reading this? What do you think?**


	2. Breaking the Cycle

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 2 Breaking the Cycle

"I want to marry you."

Kat had heard that before. And like before, she always had her guard up. Always. Then, she asked herself, did she really want to keep doing this? She would say no. He would get all bent out of shape. It was a cycle they went through every five years or so.

"I want to fall in love with you again." Kat shook her head when his eyes widened in fear. "No. I mean. Loving you is just so natural… But it's not easy. I want it to be easy again… I want…"

"I'm not in a rush," he whispered. Clearly. Rory was sixteen. But that was because she had pushed him away. She sensed his fear and pushed him away, instead of helping him overcome it. "We could…"

"I'm free for dinner Friday night," Kat said awkwardly. When was the last time they went on a date?

Draco gulped and nodded. "I'll pick you up at your place."

"Actually." Kat smirked. "I'd prefer to meet you there. I have a daughter, you see."

"Or really?" He finally started to relax.

Kat lifted up her chin. "Is that a deal breaker?"

"Definitely not. I have a sprog too, actually."

If only they were having this sarcastic conversation when Rory really was still a "sprog." He wouldn't be so… _broken._ Kat stood up and hugged tightly him, resting her chin on his shoulder. "Don't let go."

* * *

Even though she had an afternoon shift at work today, Katherine grabbed her bag and started heading for the floo early the next morning. "Rory got in trouble with McGonagall," she announced, already angry. "I'll be back soon."

"I'm coming," he said automatically as he wiped the toast crumbs off his hands. Katherine stopped and stared, not used to him not avoiding trouble. He had to give her credit for not saying anything and simply heading for the fireplace.

* * *

McGonagall's office was much more foreboding than Dumbledore's. Draco still couldn't believe that they had simply switched jobs when Dumbledore decided he was "too old" to keep track of headmaster duties. The office didn't look all that different. McGonagall was simply that powerful. Katherine didn't seem to notice.

"What seems to be the problem?" Katherine's temper seemed to be directed at McGonagall, not Aurora. Speaking of Aurora, her face turned pink when her eyes met Draco's. "Because—"

"Your daughter was caught sleeping in a boy's bed, Miss Potter," McGonagall said, not at all fazed by Katherine. Draco's heart sunk. She was having sex? "I am sure you of all people understand the severity of this situation."

"And if I recall," Katherine said darkly. "The normal punishment is to administer several detentions."

"And if you recall." McGonagall's nostril's flared. "We decided to change that course of action because you had enlightened us to the fact that the Hogwarts uniform does not come in maternity sizes."

"Aurora told you she fell asleep," Katherine snapped.

"Just like you had told me, Miss Potter." McGonagall was not backing down, thank Merlin.

"My daughter has no record of lying to you." Katherine paused to keep herself from yelling. "I don't want her treated any differently than any of the other students. Just because the shoe fit with me doesn't mean—"

"She is suspended for one day," McGonagall said with a scary finality. "So you can take her home and take whatever precautions you see fit."

Katherine pursed her lips. Draco knew she wanted to blow up on the woman and found her being ridiculous. McGonagall was doing the right thing. "She is staying here."

"I will put on her attendance record that she had a family emergency," McGonagall compromised. "Katherine, you should be grateful that I—"

"If you thought she needed birth control, you should have sent her to Pomfrey, so they could have a private conversation." Katherine rose from her seat and looked down on McGonagall. "She is not me, Professor. Therefore, my reputation is not hers."

* * *

Draco expected to be the one to start the fight when the three of them got home, but Katherine exploded the moment they stepped through the fireplace.

"I don't care what you said!" she cried. "You are going on the Potion!"

"Mum!" Aurora tried. "What about—"

"You are not getting pregnant!" she yelled. Draco felt like he was shrinking in the background. "Oh God! Is this about the other night? Because—"

"You are such a hypocrite!" Aurora yelled back. "You stand up for me, for what? The principal of the matter—"

"Yes, the principal of the matter." Katherine wiped her glittering eyes. "And I told you to come to me the moment you wanted to—"

"And I didn't because I haven't!" Aurora was crying too. "Yeah! It was about the other night! I needed someone to talk to! And then we both fell asleep! Why don't you believe me?"

"Because I don't want anything to happen to you!" Katherine was nearly screaming now. "What about your apprenticeship? What about becoming a healer for the Auror Department? For the Unspeakables? Don't throw all of that away—"

"Like you did?" Aurora asked. "Don't sit there and tell me I was the best thing that ever happened to you and then tell me that ending up like you would be throwing my life away! I FELL ASLEEP!"

Aurora stomped off to her room and then slammed the door. Before Draco could say anything, Katherine ran upstairs and did the same. He was standing by himself in the living room in a very silent house.

They would make up. Surely they would. They were so close that it was scary. Draco sat on the sofa and waited. Then an hour went by. Then another. Lunch time came and went. They never missed a meal.

Who would be easier to talk to? Draco opened Katherine's door to find that she had gone to work. Great.

Tentatively, he knocked on Aurora's door. He opened it at her pronouncement of, "Go away!"

She was curled up on her bed, just like Katherine did when she was upset. Their expressions were even similar. Her face even soured at the sight of him. "Isn't there a crepe that you need to eat?"

Draco blinked in surprise. "What?"

"When I was thirteen, I asked why you were such a deadbeat. Mum was mad at you for staying in France for Easter, so all she would say is that you wanted to come over, but you really like crepes." Aurora's face remained stormy. "Later, she apologized and said you weren't a deadbeat, but whenever you missed something, we made the joke about you being too busy eating crepes in France."

"Oh…" Well, at least they could joke about his inadequacies. "Listen Aurora…"

"I'm not taking something I don't need just because the two of you were too stupid to," Aurora grumbled.

"We're scared for you." Draco sat at the foot of her bed. "I don't think you understand how hard it was for us to have you."

"You mean for Mum." Aurora curled more into a ball to get away for him.

Draco bit his lip. He didn't want her to know, but maybe she should. "I was too young." Aurora turned herself away from him. "So I never felt good enough for you." She tensed, thinking he was going to use his youth as an excuse for being too "busy" for her. "I wanted to be there but… I was too scared, and I'm sorry I let that fear absolutely _paralyze_ me, but…"

Aurora sat up and looked at him, really looked at him. "Sometimes I just want you two to admit that I was a mistake. That I shouldn't be here. Mum's a liar. I was the worst thing that ever happened to you two."

Draco forced himself to laugh. "I was never going to be an alchemist, Aurora. I may have the brains, but I've never had to take responsibility for anything in my life. Do you think I could handle something that wasn't handed to me?"

"Mum had an apprenticeship with Alastor Moody." Aurora didn't even deny his words. He was kind of hoping she would have. "Grandma told me. She said that Mum could've been the Head of the Auror Department if she had stuck with school."

Draco couldn't help it. He threw back his head and laughed. Poor Lily. "Your mother turned that down, Aurora!"

"Yeah," Aurora said slowly. "Because she had me."

Draco laughed again. "No. Because she wanted to backpack across Europe with me instead. She was just as irresponsible was I was."

Aurora stared, but she wasn't giving up that easily. "But she could've applied again when she came back."

"Moody wasn't one you could come crawling back to." Draco couldn't believe Katherine never told Lily that. It was easier for her to go with _I guess I can't because I have a baby_ instead of telling her mother the truth. He could only picture how angry Lily would be if she learned this even now. "I believe Katherine said when she told me, 'I guess I'll just apply somewhere else. I'll figure it out.'"

"She would have figured it out," Aurora insisted.

"Probably." Katherine had talent. They both did. But talent didn't get you very far if you weren't willing to use it. "But I think she's rather happy now, don't you think?"

"Yeah." But Aurora was frowning. She didn't get that. Because, thankfully, she hadn't been forced to grow up yet. "Are you?"

"I'm getting there," Draco confessed. "But, it isn't your fault, Aurora. I could've been an alchemist if I was willing to work for it. I'm not exactly a hard worker, am I?"

"No." Aurora forced herself to smile. "I really was just sleeping. Prescott's voice has that effect."

"Finally someone admits it," Draco joked. Then, he became serious again. "I'm worried."

"How's it feel? Something like when I broke my arm two years ago? Oh wait. You were eating crepes." And like that, all the resentment was back. Aurora tried to shake it off. "I'll see you at dinner, Dad."

* * *

"I left her with Draco." Kat sipped at her coffee during her late lunch break. She wouldn't be home until nine, but Rory would still wait for her to eat dinner.

After having a few hours to stew over it, she knew Rory was telling the truth. Maybe she would hesitate with Draco there, but she wouldn't have been so hurt if she was lying. Kat just… _panicked_. And Rory knew better than to scare her like that.

Astoria was mixing a filling for the night's dessert. "Well… That will definitely teach her."

Kat rolled her eyes. The coffee was starting to give her the jitters, but she couldn't stop drinking it. "Can you fix us up something for dinner?"

Astoria raised an eyebrow. "Three plates worth?"

"Yeah." Kat smirked. Astoria wasn't exactly Team Draco. At least she took too much pride in her cooking to make him something that would leave him on the toilet. "He's sleeping on the couch."

"Really?" Astoria grinned. "Not even the guest room?"

"Too close to my bed." Kat almost laughed. "He's taking the dog house well."

"Because he is one." Astoria wrinkled her nose. "That's an insult to dogs. He's-he's a slug, that's what he is!"

Kat snorted. Draco had such a bad rap in Stars Hollow. "I can't wait until Sunday dinner."

"I'll need every detail," Astoria said seriously. Then, she scuttled to the other side of the kitchen as fast as her chubby legs could carry her. "Don't you dare leave without letting me inspect that fruit Ronald Weasley!"

Kat smiled to herself as she watched them bicker back and forth over the quality of the produce. Poor Ron. To make matters worse, she strolled over and took a peach. Ron threw his hands in the air as she started to eat it.

"See! She likes it!" he yelled. "So you're buying it!"

"I am not buying this!" She held up a peach. "It's as hard as a rock!"

"Gee, I didn't know Kat's teeth were sharp knives," he shot back.

Kat tapped her chin. "Is that blood I taste?"

"How am I going to make pies out of this tomorrow?"

"They'll be softer tomorrow!"

"And if they aren't?"

"Well… save the receipt…"

Kat continued to eat as they went on with their biweekly show. Some things were perfect just the way they were.

* * *

"Mum." Aurora hugged Katherine, who hugged her back. They were able to apologize and forgive each other just like that. Draco had speech after speech in his head too, thinking he would have to referee the argument.

"Breakfast at Black's tomorrow?" Katherine asked lightly. He had cousins named Black. "We'll practice putting condoms on bananas."

"Ha, ha. I probably missed so much today," Aurora said with regret. "Next Tuesday?"

"So what's missing a little more? I'm sure your boy toy took plenty of notes for you. Because he's scared of me." She gestured to the table. "I got your favorite from the kitchen."

"Yes, I'm sure it has nothing to do with his feelings for me. This is your favorite!" But Aurora was smiling all the same at the chicken, string beans, and mashed potatoes. "Did you get treacle tart?"

"Well it _is_ your favorite." Katherine winked. "Dad's too." Draco glared at her. He hated treacle tart. "Guess what? He's having dinner with us Sunday."

"Two in a row?" Aurora pretended to look surprised. "Will Grandma be there?"

"Yes," Draco drawled. "I'm finally going to profess my love to her."

Aurora frowned. "I'll sit next to Grandpa. He'll need the comfort when Grandma leaves him."

Katherine burst out laughing and threw a dinner roll at him. Aurora called him Father Grandpa, and Draco found himself laughing with them. This was what it was like to be a family.

* * *

"Who's this?" Regulus Black was his mother's cousin, Draco believed. He knew very well who Draco was.

"My dad!" Aurora beamed but not because of the introduction. She was looking at the counter. "You have banana muffins!"

"Uhuh." Black was eyeballing him. "So a banana muffin and…"

"Coffee!" Aurora and Katherine chorused.

"You know all that caffeine will stunt your growth," Black said dryly.

Aurora grinned. She absolutely adored the cranky man. "I'm quite happy with my height, thank you."

"And I want pancakes and bacon and…" Katherine adored the man too. "I think I'm in the mood for half an orange."

"Gotta get that daily serving of fruit." Black started to walk away.

"Reg!" Katherine laughed and pointed at Draco. "Forgetting something?"

Black thinned his lips. "What do you want?"

"Reg!" Aurora sounded offended. At least someone could come to his defense without a laugh. "How come you're so polite to him and not us? Your regulars?"

Never mind then. Black narrowed his eyes. "Shouldn't you be at school?"

"I'm facing a sexist injustice right now," Aurora said matter-of-factly. Katherine nodded. They both got over it that quick. Sixteen year old Aurora had slept with a boy. "So you better make that two muffins."

"Fine." Black took out a notepad and repeated to Draco, "What do you want?"

"A bagel, please." Draco had a feeling that Lily would get along with Black just fine.

Katherine was rubbing her hands together with glee at the sight of her pancakes when someone else came into the diner. Aurora couldn't help but stare at the boy's bright blue hair and pierced lip. His hand had a crescent moon tattoo.

"Take a picture," the boy snapped. "It'll last longer."

Before anyone could say a word, Black ran over. "Teddy! You're a day early!" He laughed nervously. Draco didn't think a man like that could be nervous. "Kat, Rory, this is my nephew Teddy."

"First cousin, twice removed," the little snot corrected.

"Right." Black scratched the back of his neck. "He's transferring from Beauxbatons. Rory, I was hoping you could show him around."

The little shit put on a sarcastic smile and held out his hand to Aurora, who refused to take it. "Ted Lupin. Nice to meet you."

"Lupin?" Aurora asked.

"Yes. My deadbeat Dad works at Hogwarts." His eyes flashed, but Aurora softened at the word 'deadbeat.' Wonderful. Draco felt the sudden urge to remind them that they were related. Were they third cousins? He could never keep track of such things.

"My boyfriend and I have third period free," she said stiffly. "Do you?"

The boy smirked. "I could."

"Teddy," Black tried. "Your mum—"

"Is sick of dealing with me." The boy adjusted his backpack. "Nothing more."

Black sighed as the boy headed upstairs to what Draco assumed was an apartment. With a shake of his head, he turned and took someone else's order. Katherine pouted and then got up to talk to Black as he worked.

"Stay away from him," Draco hissed.

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Obviously. I'm doing it for Reg."

Draco hoped she was telling the truth.

* * *

"Ooh, fancy," Kat gushed as Draco took them out on their first date in who knew how long. "If I knew unemployment checks were this big, I would have stopped working years ago."

"Shut up, Katherine." Draco even pulled the chair out for her. Fancy. "I'll find another job. I've already been offered one."

"From dad!" Kat giggled. "Are you referring to the same offer he gave you the day Rory was born?"

"No." Draco glared at her to hide his embarrassment. "I thought you were too hopped up on pain potions to hear that."

Kat groaned at the memory. She wasn't as developed as she was now and had needed salves _down there._ At least she wasn't a Muggle. They would have used stitches. "I wish. Mum wouldn't let me. I think she thought it would make me think twice about getting up the duff again."

Draco looked absolutely horrified. Kat didn't know why. He knew nothing about giving birth. Therefore, he knew nothing about physical pain. Then, he sighed. "I wish I had been there."

"Hey." Kat reached over the table and ran her thumb over his knuckles. "Just… be here now. Okay?"

Before he could respond, they heard a tired, "Draco! I've been looking all over for you!"

Draco turned white. Kat knew that voice. It was on the tip of her tongue… Pansy Parkinson?

Daphne owned this restaurant, but Draco might not know that. He simply picked the nicest one in town. Kat leaned to the side to get a better look at the woman heading their way. As soon as she saw her, she got out of her seat and stared hurrying away.

"Katherine!"

She was not turning around. Ever again. She should have known there was more to Draco's _I Hardly Know My Daughter_ story. He was well aware of that for years and did nothing about it. Until now. There was a reason he was having his life crisis.

Pansy was pregnant.

 **Thank you for reviewing Vi38, gr8rockstarrox, and Padfootette!**

 **gr8rockstarrox: Still want her to say yes? ;)**


	3. Proving Yourself

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 3 Proving Yourself

"You didn't tell her," Pansy said softly as Katherine hurried off. "So I'm guessing that means Aurora doesn't know either." Draco said nothing, feeling like a hole was going to open up in the floor and swallow him whole. If only. "Just sign the papers, Draco."

"No." He just… If he could prove to her that he could be a halfway decent father. If he could prove to himself… "We're thirty two. We have money. We could've gotten married. Why won't you even consider—"

"Don't." Pansy gritted her teeth. She wanted to give the baby up for adoption. Draco couldn't bear the thought. Even though he didn't love her, he would marry her, if that's what it took. "I don't want to be a mother, and you've proven time and time again that you can't be a father."

"I'm not signing anything!" Draco yelled, causing several patrons in the restaurant to turn their heads. "How'd you even find me? You know what? Never mind! I don't care if you don't want our son. I do! I'll take him home when he's born."

"What _home?_ " Pansy hissed. "Your father's not going let you come home after the stunt you pulled at the company. Katherine's probably burning an effigy of you right now. You have no home. No job. And I would be in shock if you knew how to take care of a baby on your own."

"I'll figure it out!" Draco snapped as he rose from his seat. He had to go see Katherine.

* * *

"Get out!" Kat screamed as soon as Draco apparated and walked through her front door. She was at the top of the stairs and threw his suitcase all the way down. "Get out! Get out! Get out!"

"Katherine—" he tried, but it was too late. She never wanted to see him again.

"How I am going to tell Rory?" she cried. She wanted to throw more of his things but he had yet to bother to unpack. It was out of habit, she supposed. He never stayed long enough to really need to unpack. "This is why you stayed for nearly a week this summer, isn't it? You fucked me while you're pregnant girlfriend was wondering where you were?"

"No… She had broken up with me then," he said calmly, even though he was shaking. "I…"

"Don't you say you wanted to tell me!" Kat shrieked. "She's what? Seven? Eight months? You've had plenty of time!"

"Eight," he said quietly. "She… wants to give him up for adoption." Kat tensed and balled her fists. That's why he was so upset. And that's why he suddenly wanted to be a real dad. Pansy wasn't going to let him walk all over her like Kat did for over a decade and a half. "I thought… I thought if I could be a dad, a real dad to Aurora..."

"She doesn't like being called Aurora," Kat spat. "Ever realize you're the only one who does?"

Draco wiped his eyes. "I need your help—"

"I'm done." She should have been done ten years ago. Maybe more. The only problem was that she loved him. And she still did. "You need to leave."

"Katherine—"

"YOU NEED TO LEAVE!"

And he did. No surprises there.

* * *

Draco sat in a bar for the night until it closed, making him officially homeless. He rubbed his eyes and realized people were giving him dirty looks as he stumbled throughout town. Katherine wasn't kidding when she said this was a small town. It looked like a significant portion of the population were Weasleys too. Molly Weasley took Katherine in and gave her a job as a maid at her hotel when she ran off.

What was it called? He didn't remember. Draco was sure it was probably more of a cheap motel, so he went to the best one in town to avoid Katherine. The Independence Inn.

"May I help you?" a beautiful blonde with a thick French accent asked. She had the air of someone incredibly rude, but Draco couldn't help but put on his best charming smile. Fleur, the plaque on the desk said in gold. She narrowed her eyes after giving him a once over.

"Yes." Draco took out his Gringotts card. "I'd like a room."

"You can't have one," she snapped. Draco blinked in surprise. She was nonplussed and waved him away. "Go on. You smell like ze bar. Shoo!"

"Y-You can't," Draco stuttered. He had to get out of this damn town. But he didn't want to give up on Katherine just yet. Malfoys didn't stand for this treatment either. "I'd like to speak to the manager."

Fleur lifted her chin. "No!"

"Did somebody say manager?" Oh God. Katherine didn't recognize his raspy, hungover voice and entered the lobby with a smile. A smile that was gone as soon as she saw him. "You didn't know where I worked, did you?"

Draco gulped. When she lived here, she lived in a shack on the grounds. He had never really looked at the hotel before. "I'll leave."

As he started to leave, he heard Fleur say, "Why did you put up with such scum for so long, Kater-reen?"

He winced when he heard Katherine say softly, "I don't know."

* * *

"Mum! Dad!" Rory called Sunday evening. She liked the sound of it. Mum and Dad. "It's time for dinner with Grandma and Grandpa!"

Rory hurried up the stairs, smiling and wondering if Dad had bought another strawberry short cake. She stopped at Mum's door when she heard her crying. Her face fell. She never heard Mum cry. Her voice wobbled at bit when Rory had broken her arm but…

"Mum?" She was lying on her bed, all dressed up and ready to go. As soon as she saw Rory, she wiped her eyes and forced herself to stop crying. "Where's Dad?"

"He's not going to make it, babe." Mum wiped her eyes and walked over to her dresser to start fixing her makeup.

"Why?" When was the last time she had asked why? She shouldn't. Mum didn't know the answer. Or maybe she did and was afraid to tell her.

"He's at Riddle's Bed and Breakfast." Mum reached for her mascara, but stopped when Rory grabbed her wrist. "I'm sorry, honey."

"No." Rory let go, not knowing why she was so disappointed. "You know what, Mum? I can go to Grandma and Grandpa's by myself."

The fact that Mum actually considered told Rory that something was very, very wrong. After a moment, she sighed. "Okay. But… I need you to talk to your dad too, Rory. Like an emergency talk. Maybe I should go by myself so you can talk to him."

"No!" Dad always made her wait. Rory had no problem with doing the same to him. "I'll have breakfast with him tomorrow. No worries."

Mum's face almost crumpled, but she wouldn't let it. "I don't think it's a good idea to talk to him right before school."

"Then he can wait," Rory said firmly. She grabbed Mum by her shoulders and ushered her back to bed. "I'll pick up Reg's on my way home. Do you really want Grandma asking you questions? I'll keep her busy with Christmas plans."

"How'd I get such a good kid?" Mum asked tiredly. "I'm sorry, babe."

"It's okay," Rory said quietly. It wasn't.

* * *

"Where are they?" Lily asked. James was finishing up work. Lily already had a drink in her hand. If Draco was going to get himself together, she was going to have to get used to wanting to be nice to him again.

"Mum's sick," Rory whispered. She even looked like Kat when she lied.

"Sick," Lily repeated.

 _"I don't know if I can come to dinner tonight with Sirius. I'm sick," Kat whispered the night she came home for Christmas holiday. She was wearing an oversized Hogwarts sweater, probably Draco's, and sweat pants. Other than that, nothing was out of the ordinary. She didn't seem sick._

 _Lily put a hand over her forehead. Cool as a cucumber. "You look fine. Just go lie down for a little. I put new dress robes on your bed. He'll be here in an hour."_

 _Kat did pale a little bit at that, but Lily figured she was tired from the train ride. Or, more likely, she just wanted to firecall Draco all night._

 _Lily went to check on her as soon as Sirius arrived. She didn't expect to open the door to find Katherine ready and about to head out. Her daughter was wearing the dress robes but had a giant scarf flowing from her neck down to nearly her knees. Ugly thing. It was probably from James's mother. "I'll just turn up the fire if you're col—"_

 _She wasn't cold. Lily started taking off the scarf and gasped when she saw what Katherine was hiding. Her daughter started shaking but didn't break eye contact._

 _"Mum—"_

 _Lily brought a shaking hand to her lips. Her baby was having a baby._

"Sick," Lily repeated again. Kat never said why Draco was suddenly back and here to stay. What if…? She shouldn't get so shaken up. Kat was thirty two. She may have even wanted another, what with Rory leaving in a few years and all.

"Alright fine," Rory said guiltily. "I think they broke up. Like really broke up. She wouldn't say. But he was gone."

"Broken up?" She was starting to sound like a bloody parrot.

"Where's Kat and my son?" James said jokingly. He frowned at the awkward silence. "What?"

"Sick," Lily said yet again. She didn't have the heart to tell him, especially if they didn't know for sure. In his mind, Kat and Draco should be married with ten children right now. He had been waiting for Draco to grow up for years. "The two lovebirds have the flu."

"The flu?" James didn't believe it and thought what Lily did. The idea made him absolutely glow, however. He chuckled as he snapped at a house elf to make them drinks and give Rory a butterbeer. "Maybe you're getting a little brother, Rory."

"Maybe," Rory said quietly. Lily suddenly felt terrible. The poor girl just wanted her parents to be together, and both of them had teased her with the idea all her life. She wished that they were wrong and that James was right.

* * *

Rory chewed on her lip as she headed for Riddle's. He was a weird old man who was running for mayor, now that Mrs. Figg was retiring. He liked to think he ran the town when really, he just owned a bed and breakfast couples liked to shack up in. Riddle knew everyone's dirty secrets, so unfortunately, he had a shot at winning.

"Hello Peter," Rory said awkwardly. Mum said Peter used to work for Grandpa but got fired for stealing money from him. She tried to act like she didn't know, but she couldn't help it.

"Rory!" Riddle's secretary beamed. "Are you looking for your dad? He's the talk of the town! Oh, but you know of course…"

"Y-yeah." If only Mum was here, but Rory didn't want her to know that she was going Monday morning before school.

"That's enough, Pettigrew." Rory felt her blood turn to ice. That wasn't Dad. It was Lucius.

Peter quivered like a mouse face to face with a cat. Rory bravely turned around to see Lucius's face remaining skillfully blank. "Draco is meeting with my solicitor, unfortunately. I'm afraid you will have to come over after school, Aurora."

"Oh." Rory put her hands behind her back and teetered slightly. "I guess I'll be going then."

She nearly sprinted for the fireplace. She should have actually ran. Who cared what these people thought? "Aurora?" Lucius fiddled with his wedding ring. "I would like to apologize for my behavior last week."

"Oh." Rory pursed her lips. She wasn't going to accept his apology. That man wasn't her grandfather. He was nothing compared to Grandpa. "Did your wife or my dad tell you to say that?"

His lip curled at her lack of acceptance. "My wife, I suppose. She bought the decrepit Dragonfly Manor and claims to be living there until you begin your apprenticeship."

Rory gaped. Mum wanted to buy it. She and Astoria were saving up to buy their own inn. Dragonfly Manor was perfect, but Luna said the time wasn't right even though the nargles said that she was going to open her inn there one day. Then she said that Mum wasn't meant to buy it from her. Mum said Luna smoked too much pot. "Luna was refusing to sell it!"

Lucius raised his eyebrows. "I suppose everyone has a price. The place is falling apart. I would rather Cissa stay _here_."

So now Mum lost Dad and her dream inn. Rory didn't want to stick around for any more bad news. "I have school."

* * *

Draco hated going to Hogwarts. Hated the bloody school ever since they found out they were expecting Aurora. He had to listen to people making fun of Katherine for more than half of sixth year. Then, in his seventh, he felt entirely alone. Katherine barely even firecalled him. She was too entranced by Aurora while he was trying to hide the fact that he was having daily panic attacks.

"I need to speak to my daughter," he announced when he flooed into McGonagall's office.

The old woman raised her eyebrows and remained seated at her desk. "She is in class, Mr. Malfoy. Severus is seriously considering her for the apprenticeship. I do not think it is prudent to allow her to miss any more class."

"When can I speak to her?" Draco forced himself to say calmly. He would rather not wait. It wouldn't be a surprise if Pansy had the baby soon.

"Friday evening," McGonagall said curtly.

"Excuse me?" Draco's voice rose slightly.

McGonagall thinned her lips. Never a good sign. "May I be frank, Mr. Malfoy?" She paused but not long enough to give him a chance to answer. "Aurora's education is one of the most important aspects of her life. Do not distract her from it with your immature nonsense."

Draco glared at her, even though he knew she was right. He wanted to rip the band aid off and get it over with. "Tell her to come see me when she can on Friday."

* * *

"Can I ask you something?" They were in Herbology. Pres didn't like dirt, so Rory was alone in this class, but mostly because Victoire always skivved off. Of course she had to share the class with Ted Lupin.

"Ask away," he said lazily. He always sounded bored.

"Why do you have the tattoo if…" Rory trailed off, feeling like she had overstepped a boundary. To escape, she started to head in the opposite direction for more fertilizer.

A bitter laugh made her jump. "Because he hates it."

Rory turned around. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

"He hates being a werewolf. Everyone knows that." Ted rolled his eyes. "Anyway, stop trying to be so perfect, princess. You're far from it."

"Excuse me?" Rory said incredulously. He ignored her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He sneered at her and finally followed Professor Longbottom's rules and put gloves on, covering the crescent moon tattoo. "Perfect people aren't so nosey. Perfect people don't let men walk all over them."

Rory straightened and looked down on him. "I never said I was."

"Ah." Ted wagged a finger at her. "You didn't say it, _but_ … You have this air about you. Perfect grades. Perfect manners. A prefect that's bound to be head girl. Perfect _boyfriend._ "

Rory clenched her fists but couldn't bring herself to say anything mean to him. Instead, she picked up her assignment to take to Professor Longbottom. She didn't feel comfortable outright being mean, but she said the next best thing. Some would say what she said back was even worse. "See you in Professor Lupin's."

* * *

Kat was just bringing the spoonful of ice cream to her mouth when Mum flooed in. She was in her pajama's and last night's Chinese food box was at her feet… and the night before's pizza box… and the night before's pajama's.

"Really?" Mum threw her hands in the air. "Is he really worth ruining your perfect figure?"

"You should have asked me that before sixth year." Kat shoved the spoon back into the ice cream carton. "This is my breakup diet."

"Oh please." Mum rolled her eyes. "This is a regular day for you." What happened to her having the perfect figure? "C'mon. Get up."

"Nope." Kat stretched. Today was her day off, so why not take a second nap before lunch? "You can bring dinner back though."

Mum wrinkled her nose in disgust. "So you're really done with him?"

Kat closed her eyes. A second nap was definitely a good idea. "Yes. Bask in all your glory."

"I don't believe you."

Kat opened one eye to see her mother's disapproving look. "Thanks."

Mum sighed and moved a donut box to make herself a seat. "He gave you a child, Kat. It's okay to always love him. But you need to love yourself more."

"Again. Thanks." Kat tried to blink the stinging from her eyes. "I knew he wasn't ready for Rory. When she was born. And she was so _perfect._ So it made me angry. I would have married him that day. I was that happy to have her. But… I felt like he wasn't."

"Some people just aren't ready," Mum said softly. "Whether their sixteen or thirty two or fifty even."

 _He's having a baby,_ Kat wanted to say. _With someone else._ Instead, she whispered, "I hate him."

"No, you don't." Mum pulled her into a hug when she started to cry. It wasn't fair.

* * *

Rory took a deep breath as she knocked on Dad's door at Riddle's. She half expected a woman to answer it, but no, it was Dad. He looked incredibly tired too. Rory couldn't ever recall seeing him tired.

"I thought you were going to come Friday." It was Saturday morning. Dad rubbed at his eyes and opened the door wider so she could come in. He weakly gestured to the sofa.

Rory shrugged and sat down. "I like to get a head start on homework on Friday."

"Hmmm…" He sat across from her and put his face in his hands for a moment. Rory suddenly wanted to leave. She didn't want to hear what he had to say. "I'm sorry, Aurora… Rory. But, I've kept something from you."

To be honest, she didn't know much about him. She knew the everyday things, like his favorite color and that he had a sweet tooth, but she didn't know any of the deep stuff. Rory wondered if he even knew her favorite color, pink. "Oh…"

He didn't want to tell her. Dad swallowed nervously and ran a hand through his hair. "You're going to have a sibling soon…"

Rory felt her whole body tense. "Mum's pregnant?" she yelled in disbelief. "And you left her?!"

"No." Dad winced. "Not your mother."

Rory stared for a long time. She felt her eyes widen but couldn't bring herself to speak. Dad started to become uncomfortable and began fiddling with the fabric of the armchair.

She remembered what Lucius said. That Dad had to marry Pansy Parkinson. She thought it was some stupid arranged marriage thing. She _thought_ that that was what made Dad realize that he wanted to be with her and Mum, that they were his true family. She was wrong.

"He'll be here in about a month," Dad said quietly.

Rory laughed bitterly, reminding her of Ted. She even sounded like Ted. Because Aurora Katherine Potter would never tell her dad, "Fuck you."

* * *

Pansy's parents weren't talking to her, but she didn't care. She did love the baby, which was why she wanted to give him up. He didn't deserve to have a mother who didn't want to be a mother.

As horrifying as Dragonfly Manor was, she was staying with Narcissa. It was awkward as hell, so Pansy did what she usually did, bury herself in her work. Her "office" was the back porch. The cold finally put an end to her hot flashes.

She had forgotten how smart Aurora was. Well, Draco said she was smart, but Pansy had a feeling he didn't really know, so she didn't entirely believe him. She didn't expect the girl to show up three weeks before Pansy's due date. Pansy reached for her wand.

"You used to make fun of my mum," the girl said coolly. "Did you think about that when you missed your period?"

Oh she was definitely Lily and Narcissa's granddaughter. Pansy almost smiled. "The irony is not lost on me."

Aurora frowned. "I always wanted a sibling. Mum said no."

"Well aren't you lucky," Pansy said dryly. "You're getting one anyway."

The girl's face went blank, causing Pansy to tighten the grip on her wand. The girl wouldn't hex her, would she? Aurora surprised her by saying, "I want to be there. When you have it."

"Oh?" _And strangle him?_ Pansy was tempted to ask.

Aurora's face turned pink. "Don't tell my mum. Or my dad. I want to be there for it. I know what it feels like. To have him as a dad…" She repeated, "I want to be there for it."

"For him," Pansy corrected. Then, she added slowly, "You can be there."

 _And only you,_ Pansy thought. She didn't want Draco there with Lucius's threatening solicitors and his instance that he could be a father when she knew he couldn't. Draco was too selfish. Aurora wasn't. She'd tell him when it was over.

 **Thank you for the reviews Ern Estine 13624, myafroatemydog, gr8rockstarrox, and Padfootette!**

 **myafroatemydog: The closest hint I gave was Draco thinking in chapter one that it was ironic that Pansy used make fun of Kat. ;)**

 **gr8rockstarrox: I would say it was more that Pansy wants to give the baby up for adoption, and he's realizing that he can't raise a kid on his own because he has no clue how, even though he already has a kid. He was thinking to himself,** _ **If I can do right by Aurora, maybe I have a chance at being a decent father to my son.**_

 **Any of you read** _ **Draco Malfoy: The Boy Who Lived**_ **? I published chapter four a little while ago, only to realize the emails notifications were down. So some of you may not have gotten it. It's up though. :)**


	4. Secrets Revealed

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 4 Secrets Revealed

Sunday night dinner. Kat did _not_ want to go. Mum left Dad completely in the dark, and she doubted he was updated on the situation. Still, she forced herself to. Unfortunately, no good deed went unpunished. Rory paled at the sight of Narcissa sitting at the dinner table.

"You know what?" Kat said as soon as she got over the fact that she tripped over her own shoe at the sight of Narcissa. "I think… I think I'm sick. So sick that Rory has to take me to the hospital."

"Nonsense." Mum glided from her place at the table and practically shoved Kat in her seat. "Did you know Narcissa moved to Stars Hollow?"

"No."

Dad brought a book to the dinner table, never a good sign. He snapped his fingers at the house elves for more wine. "Have you ever set foot in the town before? Kat and Rory have lived there for what? Fifteen years."

"Something like that," Kat said quietly. Dad bringing up when Kat ran off was never a good sign.

But Narcissa was never afraid of Dad. In fact, she wasn't afraid of anyone. "Such a shame on my part. It is such a lovely town. A beautiful place for a little girl to grow up."

Dad clenched his jaw and went back to his book. After all these years, he wanted Kat and Rory to move back into Potter Manor. It was seldom brought up, and Kat could count on one hand the number of times Dad had been to Stars Hollow.

"She bought Dragonfly Manor." At Mum's words, Kat stopped cutting up her pork chop into tiny, bite sized pieces.

Narcissa nodded in a smug way that told Kat that the woman knew that she scrounged and saved to buy the place only to discover that Luna wouldn't accept her down payment. She must have had the money to pay in full and a few thousand galleons extra to actually get Luna to sell it. "My house elves are working hard to fix the place up. All fifteen bedrooms should be ready by the summer."

"Oh." When Kat and Astoria planned to buy it, they also planned on spending at least five years to fix the place up. Because they needed to save for that too. "That's… nice."

"Mum wanted to open her own inn there," Rory said curtly. Her _lovely_ daughter didn't react when Kat kicked her in the shin.

Narcissa's beautiful lips curled into a smile. She knew. Of course she knew. She had lived in Stars Hollow for what? A week? Maybe two. She probably knew everything from the cavity Kat had fixed three years ago to Fleur's not so secret summer tryst with Molly Weasley's son Bill. "Really? Hmmm… Perhaps, we could open one there together. I certainly wouldn't need all fifteen rooms. And the Manor is already paid for so you needn't worry about money."

Oh she's good. She was probably already planning her and Draco's wedding in exchange. Kat soured at the thought. Did Pansy have the baby yet? "I don't take handouts."

"We all know that," Dad muttered, not looking up from the book he was pretending to read.

"Don't think of it as a handout," Narcissa simpered. "Think of it as a way for the family to get back together."

"I see my family every Sunday," Kat said coolly.

The temperature seemed to drop in the room by at least ten degrees. Mum tried to ease the tension by catching Narcissa up on the latest gossip among their mutual friends, but Kat, Dad, and Rory picked at their food. What did they expect? It had been over fifteen years.

"Rory is taking Alchemy next year," Mum boasted. Way to go. According to Narcissa, Draco didn't _get to_ take the intense elective because he wouldn't have had time to spend with Rory, who was only a baby at the time.

Narcissa forced herself to smile. For the first time in twenty minutes, Kat looked up from her mash potatoes. "Are you, darling? Draco would be so proud. If you were talking to him that is."

"You're not talking to Dad?" Kat said loudly, causing Rory to sink into her seat. So she talked to Draco without telling her. Narcissa knew, obviously, but Mum and Dad didn't. Mum knew that she wasn't taking to Draco, but she didn't know why. Dad knew nothing, unless Mum had enlightened him.

"Although I do appreciate you talking to Pansy," Narcissa went on. Rory turned bright red while Mum was starting to look just as confused as Dad. Then, she turned to Kat, who was starting to wish she knew how to vomit on command so she could go home. "Thank you for allowing it, sweetie. The poor girl. You know how it feels to be pregnant and alone."

"Thanks to Dad!" Rory yelled.

"W-what is going on here?!" Mum stammered.

Narcissa feigned surprise. "Katherine didn't tell you? She was so distraught the other week. I thought that surely she would have…"

"Cissa, I'm afraid it is time you left," Dad said firmly. Uh-oh.

The deed was done, so she didn't put up much of a fight. Kat wondered how these manipulations were going to end in her getting what she wanted. And what _did_ she want? She knew what Lucius wanted. Pansy was the more ideal partner after all. She was a pureblood. Although Lucius's purism only ever came up when he was trying to pressure Kat into getting an abortion that was a few weeks shy of illegal.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Dad asked once Narcissa was out of earshot.

Kat glanced at Rory but didn't say anything. She couldn't blame the girl for being curious about her sibling. There was no way she was going to talk to her about it in front of her parents. "Draco… had a girlfriend last year. You know, I really would have thought Lucius would have gotten around to giving him the Talk."

"This isn't funny!" Dad yelled, making her flinched. "Wh-who is this _woman_?"

"I never really spoke to her," Kat lied. Well, it wasn't entirely a lie. At school, Pansy would call her a dumb slag, and Kat would call her a dumb cunt. Then McGonagall would intervene…

"Wait a minute." Mum never forgot anything. Ever. "Yes, you did. Pansy Parkinson! Oh my God!"

"Well clearly she's grown up in the past seventeen years," Kat said dryly.

"She's very nice," Rory said quietly. Big mistake. Very big mistake.

"I can't believe you are letting your daughter around that woman!" Dad barked. "That woman who stole her father from you!"

Kat ushered a house elf over. If she was going to stay, she was going to need dessert. Thank Merlin for chocolate cake. "Yes. Draco is at no fault at all."

"He is a child," Dad snapped. "A child that was never forced to grow up. _You_ could have been that change in his life. _You!_ Not-not some hussy! Instead—"

"JAMES!" Mum pinched the bridge of her nose. A signal of a migraine coming that she was going to do her best to ignore. "Kat is not Draco's mother. She's Rory's."

"Yes, and Rory had school tomorrow." Thank the Lord. "See you next Sunday, Mum, Dad. Next time, give me a heads up before inviting Cruella de Vil."

* * *

"I can't believe I heard Grandpa say hussy," Rory said as they stepped through the floo.

Kat growled and threw her purse on the couch. If only she had thought to sneak in a flask. "If your Dad even looks at another woman, she's a hussy. Anyone I date is a 'ruffian.'"

"I'd rather be a ruffian than a hussy." Rory bit her lip. "I'm sorry. That I didn't tell you."

Kat shrugged, too tired to argue. She'd save her energy for when Rory did something really dumb. "Pansy used to fancy your dad. That's why she was such a prat to me. And it's not like I decided to catch more flies with honey either."

"Is Dad really going to raise him by himself?" Rory asked. It would be too easy to snap at her, but Kat couldn't. It wasn't her fault. She'd be curious too.

"I don't know, babe." Kat yawned and stretched. "I only got to eat half my cake, so we're going to Black's before you leave tomorrow morning, 'kay?"

"'Kay." Rory smiled awkwardly. "Mum?"

"Hm?"

"… Good night."

"G'night."

* * *

When Mum found her trying to eat herself into a junk food coma, they spent the day together, only argued twice, and Mum ended up setting this up. Kat felt self-conscious, and it wasn't just because she was the only one with a unicorn pen. She was the oldest person here, besides a little old lady who couldn't be bothered to care about such things. Scratch that. The professor looked about her age.

"So this is…" He glanced at the parchment left on his desk. "Sixth year and seventh year. Well, prepare to have the next two years of your life a living hell."

"He's handsome, isn't he?" the eighty year old lady next to her whispered. Kat supposed he was. In a spicy _I'll leave you on the side of the road speeding away on my motorcycle_ way. He was wearing a leather jacket, and Kat vaguely wondered if he knew Sirius. Surely there was a wealthy, middle aged wizard biker gang.

"Alright." He held up his hands. "I'm the alchemy professor at Hogwarts. I'm only here because not enough students signed up for the class, so I'm only teaching two instead of the usual three or four. I'm guessing you're only here because you can't find a job."

Sirius definitely wouldn't accept him into the gang. Not with that attitude. For once, Kat decided to keep her mouth shut. She didn't want two years of hell to turn into three or four.

He started circling the class like a disappointed shark. "You flunked out. Married some idiot. Or dropped out to start some business that ultimately failed."

"My husband was the Minister of Magic twenty years ago," the old woman declared proudly. Kat grinned, which was the closest to yelling, _Burn!_ like she wanted to.

"Like I said," he drawled. "You married some idiot." The old lady snorted, too confident to be offended.

"My name is Professor Zabini." Wait… She knew that name. Great. "Show up to every class, do all the assignments, and you'll at least _pass._ And you'll eventually have your Hogwarts diploma."

After that, he started magically writing notes on the board so fast that Kat's hand was starting to cramp within ten minutes. But she didn't give up and leave like a few of her classmates did within the first hour. That was what a stuck up jerk like him would have wanted. She'd only miss night school if she was in the morgue.

"Do you remember me?" Kat asked at the end of class as everyone high tailed it out of there. Only the old lady remained as she slowly put her notebook away. "We were in the same year."

"No." He was glancing over his lesson plans and didn't look up. "I spent most of Hogwarts with my nose in a book. I was there to learn, not socialize."

"Katherine Potter." Everyone knew her name. Hell, they started Sex Ed. because of her. "Ring any bells?"

Finally, it dawned on him, and he looked up. "Aurora Potter." Or not. "She's taking my class next year. Is she your sister?"

"No," Kat said slowly. "My daughter."

He frowned, instantly doing the math in his head with his big, obnoxious brain. "Oh." Now he'd remember. "I know her. But not you." Never mind then. "She's quite clever. I was thinking of asking her to be my research assistant over the summer, but Lupin and Slughorn are already fighting over her."

"Yes." And here she thought she was famous. "Well, see you Wednesday."

"Tell her that Lupin will take anyone, and Slughorn just superficially picks who he thinks will be famous one day," he called out after her. "I actually know talent when I see it."

"Will do!" Like hell she would.

* * *

"VICTOIRE!" Mum screamed, making Rory cringe. She always insisted on going to her games since her own daughter wasn't "athletically inclined" as she put it. As always, Victoire basked in the attention as she zipped around the field.

"I'll be back." Pres liked Quidditch about as much as Rory did. As Victoire's cousin, he showed up at the beginning of the game and snuck back in at the end when everyone was cheering. Lucky him.

And three guesses who took his place. Ted Lupin smiled smugly as he sat in the Slytherin section. At least he wasn't wearing a Gryffindor scarf like Mum.

Speaking of Mum as soon as she spotted the guy selling popcorn on the other side of the bloody stadium, she was shuffling her way out. Rory wasn't sure whether to whether to be relieved or annoyed as Mum promised to return with a bag.

"She's, ah, something." Ted seemed to be trying to hold in a laugh.

Rory glared at him. He had yet to show up to Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Reg refused to let him drop it. "Shouldn't you be with the other Hufflepuffs?"

It was a stupid question. Even though they argued nine out of ten times, Rory was his only "friend." The thought made her grimace. Ted, as usual, seemed unaffected and pointed to the Hufflepuff stands. "Yes, I should."

Rory squinted to see Professor Lupin hobbling through all the Hufflepuffs, trying to find his son. "Now that's just plain mean."

"Yeah." Neither of them commented on it further and continued to watch the game in silence.

* * *

Kat had already eaten half of Rory's popcorn, but hey, it was a long walk. She was thinking about cutting the top off to make it just look like a small bag when she spotted too kids going at it.

"Get a room," she called out obnoxiously as she walked by the snogging couple. They tensed, making Kat wonder if it was one of Rory's friends. When she stopped to get a better look, her blood ran cold.

It was Pres. With another boy.

* * *

"Hey, Rory-kins." Mum had a high pitch that told Rory she wanted to ramble. "How about you come home early this weekend? We'll rent movies, eat food… eat more food."

"I've got a lot of studying to do," Rory said automatically, which was true. For the next few years, she was going to be spending most of her time studying.

Mum thinned her lips when Pres snuck back into the game and wrapped an arm around Rory's waist. "Yeah, well, you know Grandma signed me up for that night class. So maybe you could help me? Technically, we're in the same year…"

"O-okay." Rory elbowed Ted when he snickered and disappeared into the crowd. This was going to be weird.

* * *

"Spell checking quills! You kids have everything!"

Rory gave her a pitying _you're old as shit_ look, but Kat knew about the quills. They were a gift from Draco last September, and Kat decided to steal them since Rory never bothered with them. They were surrounded by books as Kat tried to remember the actual school work that went along with the most traumatizing school year of her life. She had been so close to finishing the year too. If only Rory had been two months overdue… Then she would only have to deal with Zabini for a year instead of two.

"You're making that face," Rory said tiredly. "Like you're daydreaming about something ridiculous."

"I'm trying to imagine you being two months overdue and me lugging you around while finishing my sixth year," Kat said sleepily.

"I'd be dead." The closer to midnight it got, the crabbier Rory became.

"O-or," Kat tried, "a super baby."

Rory stared at her flatly. Kat's essay was only half done. She had finished hers an hour and a half ago. "I'm going to bed."

"Wait!" Kat had been avoiding the conversation for hours. She couldn't _not_ tell her… "Listen, at the game today…"

"I know what you saw." Rory closed her eyes when her mother jumped in surprise. "Listen, he doesn't want his parents to know, and we're very good friends—"

"Friends." Her daughter didn't look at him like they were friends. "But—"

"It's none of your business," Rory snapped. Her eyes filled with tears, and then she stomped off and slammed her door. She most definitely didn't see him as a friend.

* * *

Rory spent the rest of the weekend at the Stars Hollow library. Kat didn't know what to do or say, especially since she was surrounded by Weasleys. Because of that, she couldn't talk to Astoria about it. There wasn't a spot where a Weasley wasn't a few steps away.

"I heard about the Dragonfly," Astoria said, thinking that was why Kat was so sulky. "If only we had enough money to buy this place. It wouldn't feel right to expect a cheap price from Molly."

"Yeah." That was another thing. She'd rather shave her own head and eat all the hair off it than run an inn with Narcissa. "I think Narcissa thought I would ask her if we could just open ours in there. She's sneaky like that."

"At what price?" Astoria said dryly. "I'd rather sell my soul to the devil than her. We'll figure something out."

Kat shrugged and poured herself a cup of coffee. "School is a lot more work than I remembered."

"This past month has been crazy for you." Astoria hissed as she cut herself while dicing carrots and jumped away before any blood could get in the food. "Damn it."

"Maybe we could open a restaurant for vampires," she joked. Two weeks into school and she was already counting down the days until Christmas break. And since they got a late start, there wouldn't be spring break, and the summer holiday was cut in half.

Astoria rolled her eyes on the way to the sink. "How's Rory?"

"Resilient," was all Kat was willing to say. Weasleys! Weasleys everywhere! It was like they reproduced by budding. Ron was just stepping into to deliver the produce, distracting Astoria as they started bickering. She'd have to try to talk to her daughter again before Sunday night dinner.

* * *

Draco stared at the employment section of _Stars Hollow Gazette_. Hopefully he'd hear from the crappy job he just interviewed for. Judging by the other five interviews he had though, he wouldn't.

At the sound of Katherine magically knocking his hotel door of its hinges, he screamed and nearly fell out of his seat. The newspaper went flying, along with his teacup which landed on the floor with a shatter. Yet another thing he would have to pay for and couldn't afford.

"Is she here?" Katherine panicked. "I-I can't find Rory."

It was Saturday night. She should still be at school. "She's not—"

"We had a fight. Well not really," Katherine babbled. "But she was upset and when I came home from work she was gone, and McGonagall said she didn't come back, and I was hoping she was here yelling at you and—"

"KATHERINE!" At his harsh tone, she flinched and wiped her eyes. "What happened?" Silence. "She's my daughter too."

"It was about her boyfriend," Katherine cried. "And she was embarrassed, and Vicky doesn't know where she is, and I had to call my bloody parents, and it's going to be all over _the Prophet,_ and they have stupid Sirius and his auror henchmen looking for her,and now she's going to be even madder at me and never come home again, and what if she's out there hurt and—"

"KATHERINE!" Draco tried to absorb what she said as she started crying quietly. Most of it was panicked nonsense. "What about the blue haired boy?"

"Teddy?" Mascara was running down her cheeks. "I think he works at Black's on Saturday nights."

"Did you check there?" Draco asked as calmly as he could.

"I don't think she's in the mood for burgers!" Katherine nearly screamed.

"No…" He was not used to her being hysterical. Lately, she was during most of his interactions with her. "I mean she likes Regulus, and she goes to school with the boy."

Before she could scream something else at him, a dog patronus appeared, causing Draco to wince. Lily may resent him, but Sirius straight up hated him.

"We found Rory," the patronus announced. "She fainted in St. Mungo's maternity ward."

"Where?" Draco said in disbelief. What was she doing there?

Katherine stopped crying and immediately soured. "She's just like my dad."

"Huh?"

The sourness was directed at him. "I think Rory tried to be Pansy's birthing coach. C'mon." She wiped the mascara on her purple sleeve, not even glancing at the stain, and sniffled. "I'll… stay with her while you…"

"While I…?" Draco felt himself start to shake as Katherine started to roughly drag him towards the floo. She thought Pansy was having the baby. He was terrified of her being right.

 **Thanks for the reviews Ern Estine 13624, Padfootette, and myafroatemydog!**

 **The next chapter is the baby being born with flashbacks of Rory being born!**

 **I'm posting a short story! It's called** _ **P. S. I Love You**_ **, if you're interested.**


	5. Birthday

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 5 Birthday

 _"Oh, look who's up before breakfast," Mum said dryly. Kat had been up all night. This was it._

 _The last few weeks must've really taken a number on her because her parents didn't seem much concerned about her wilder than usual hair, the dark circles under her eyes, and the all around sweatiness. They continued eating their breakfast quietly, sipping coffee and reading the paper as usual. "Mum…"_

 _That did the trick. Both parents tensed and shared a look at the pained sound of her voice. "James!" Mum never looked frazzled. "I-I'm going to go get the bag. Did you move it, Kat?"_

 _"Bag?" Ooops…_

 _"Your hospital bag," Mum said urgently. "It's been at the foot of your bed since a week before you came home."_

 _"Oh…"_

 _"What do you mean oh?!" Mum barked. "Where'd you put it, Katherine Lily?"_

 _"I…" Kat bit her lip. "Unpacked it."_

 _"Why?" Mum nearly screamed. They were talking this a lot better than she thought they would._

 _Kat threw her hands in the air. "I thought you were kicking me out! You can't suddenly kick someone out when they're nine months pregnant! So I just put everything back…"_

 _Mum stared just long enough for Kat to feel uncomfortable. "So instead of asking, 'Hey Mum, what's this bag doing at the foot of my bed?' You just unpacked it?!"_

 _"Well, I thought you were being very unreasonable," Kat said stiffly. "At least give me a heads up!"_

 _Mum twitched and clenched her fists. "James." She never talked to her directly when she was trying not to bite her head off. "Sit in here with Kat while I repack her bag. I'll only be a few minutes."_

 _"Me?" Dad squeaked, but Mum was already heading for her room._

 _Kat eased herself into a chair. Dad hadn't been happy with her these past few months to say the least. Mum was a bit easier. She put most of the blame on Draco._

 _"Dad," Kat gasped as she gripped the arms of the chair. She should have woken them up last night. Dad inched away. Great. "Dad, I don't think I can wait for Mum."_

 _"Yes, you can." He hated her. Hated her enough to let her have a baby in the dining room. Or so Kat thought. When she doubled over and cried out in pain, Dad fell to the floor with a crash in a dead faint._

 _Kat wheezed through the pain as the house elves rushed to Dad, waving smelling salts under his nose. Nothing seemed to work. "Tell them… Tell them that I went to go have a baby. And… I'll seem them later."_

 _"Yes, mistress!" The house elves already looked terrified. Mum was going to give at least one of them clothes for this._

Kat smiled at the memory as they went into Rory's hospital room. She was just opening her eyes. How many times had Dad fainted that day? She lost track after three. But he never left once it became clear that Draco wasn't coming.

"Hey babe." Kat tried to keep a straight face as it dawned on Rory what happened. "You and Grandpa have a lot more in common than I thought."

"Are you alright?" Draco asked worriedly before asking the healers demandingly, "Does she have a concussion?"

Rory blinked drowsily as the healers assured them that she didn't. "Her water broke. And there was a little blood in it and…" She gagged at the memory, causing the healers to hand her a small pan just in case.

"You scared me, kiddo." Kat pulled her into a hug, and she leaned her head on her shoulder. "I thought you were kidnapped by cannibals."

"You called Uncle Sirius, didn't you?" Rory asked tiredly.

"You bet your ass I did." Kat was just happy to have her back. She'd fight with her later, when all the chaos died down.

"And what a surprise she goes missing because of Draco." Speak of the devil. Draco actually paled at the sound of Sirius's voice. As if he wasn't pasty enough already.

Kat glared at Dad, who helplessly shrugged. Sirius took over the auror department when Moody retired (lost his remaining leg and both his arms). His hateful eyes wouldn't leave Draco.

"What room is Pansy in?" Kat asked Rory softly. "I think Dad wants to go."

"Oh, his schedule is clear this time?" Stupid Sirius.

"Four thirty one," Rory whispered and then looked at him expectantly.

"I-I guess I'll go." But Draco didn't move. His hands started to shake, and his breathing started to quicken and become shallow until Kat grabbed his hand.

"I'll be right back." Kat winked at Rory, knowing that her parents and godfather were going to talk about her behind her back the moment she left the room. "Want anything from the vending machine? A blood pop?"

Rory shuddered. "Coffee would be better."

"Breathe, Draco," she said as soon as they were out the door. He was starting to hyperventilate. She had never seen him like this. "What you're doing is just making it worse."

"I wanted to be there," he panted, "that day. But-but…"

"I know," Kat said quietly, even though she didn't. She never asked him about Rory's birthday. It still bothered her that much.

"I. Felt. So. Alone," he said in between gasps. "I got. There. As soon. A-as I could."

 _Draco was exhausted. He had just finished his first day of exams. It was weird, not having Katherine around to drag him out for ice cream and compare answers with. They hadn't spoken much since she left, because of their fight._

 _He had a weird feeling. Maybe the Potters would let him come over for dinner. He doubted it, but…_

 _His parents didn't even have the decency to tell him themselves. Draco felt his throat clench when he spotted the letter on his nightstand._

 _ **Draco,**_

 _ **Katherine went to the hospital this morning. You are permitted to go to St. Mungo's when your exams for the day are complete. If she is still at hospital this weekend, you may stay as well.**_

 _ **Father**_

 _It was nearly dinner time. She had to have had the baby by now. Draco felt his heart start to pound and dug his nails into his palms as he tried to calm down. He had to calm down. He had to calm down. He had to—_

"But I couldn't," Draco said bitterly. "I couldn't _breathe._ I knew I missed it, and I was so scared. I was so scared that I had trouble connecting with her at first and—"

"Draco!" Kat felt horrible. A big part of her stopped loving him that day because she thought he didn't care about Rory like she did. "It's going to be different from now on—"

"It's not," Draco said loudly, causing a few heads to turn. "Because every time I try, I feel like this, and I give up."

"I know it's hard." She didn't. Being Rory's mother came so easily to her. "But it's not going to get better if you aren't there for this. In fact, it's going to get worse."

"Stay with me," he asked pleadingly as they started to walk. She still held his hand, but she shook her head.

"You can do this."

* * *

 _They were just wheeling her to the delivery room when her parents finally showed up. The healers were moving rather quickly, concerned that her contractions were already less than ten minutes apart._

 _"Katherine Lily!" Mum yelled as they fast walked to keep up with the healers._

 _"Walk faster!" Kat hissed at her poor healers, who ignored her._

 _"How dare you?" Mum boomed. "We have tried our best to help you through this, and you left your father unconscious on the floor!"_

 _"Lils," Dad whined. "If I knew we were going to do this, I would have worn different shoes! They're rubbing against my heels!"_

 _"Oh excuse me!" Dad happened to say that while she was having a rather painful contraction. "Your heels hurt? Well my vagina is about to be split in two!"_

 _Dad instantly fainted again, causing Mum to scream in frustration. "Katherine! That is not birth works, and you know it! Now look at what you've done to your father_ _ **again**_ _. Does that make you feel better? Hmm?"_

 _"A little," Kat said sheepishly._

Kat smirked. Poor Dad. She hoped Pansy was in just as much pain.

* * *

"Hey." Draco gulped and took a step closer to Pansy. Katherine had practically shoved him into the room.

"Hey." Pansy closed her eyes and exhaled. "I was going to have someone get you as soon as she fainted. But then all these aurors stormed in…"

"It's okay," Draco lied. He was starting to sweat.

"No. It's not." Pansy sighed. "Sorry. My pain potion is wearing off. Should I send for your parents?"

"No." They were the last people he wanted to deal with. Well, besides Sirius Black, that is.

Pansy smiled weakly. "Good answer. Living with your mother was, ah…"

Draco had forgotten about that, even though Mother had put Dragonfly Manor in his name and kept urging him to come over. She probably already had a nursery set up while he himself had yet to buy anything. "Can I…" He paused, already mentally preparing for rejection. "Stay?"

Pansy nodded and held out her hand. "I'd like that."

* * *

 _"We're at the hospital. Get Draco." The patronus came from Lily. They were having a late breakfast that Narcissa suddenly wanted to throw up. Draco was just a boy…_

 _Lucius banished the silvery doe and went on eating his breakfast as if nothing happened. "He is not missing his finals. He_ _ **will**_ _complete his education."_

 _Draco's finals were the last thing on Narcissa's mind. She tried to hold back her tears. "He's not ready. He's just a child."_

 _"Lily never thought twice about leaving them alone," Lucius said bitterly. "I heard that ten percent of Muggle girls fall pregnant as teenagers. And look at who raised her. She was pregnant with Katherine at nineteen. This is probably normal for her kind."_

 _"Lucius." Narcissa didn't care about things like that. It was already too late. Draco's life was ruined thanks to Katherine. She should have taken birth control. "We should—"_

 _Lucius slammed his fist on the table. "I DON'T WANT HIM THERE!"_

 _"He'll never forgive you," Narcissa said quietly. She didn't want to admit that she didn't want Draco there either. His childhood shouldn't abruptly end like this. "And he'll be of age in a few months. She will too. What if they run away?"_

 _Lucius snorted. "She's going to drop out and live off Lily and James for the rest of her life. Who knows? Maybe we'll be great grandparents in sixteen years."_

 _"Lucius!"_

 _To her surprise, her husband's eyes glistened. She had never seen him cry. Not once. Not even when his father died. "They had so much going for them... I'll write Draco a letter…"_

"Pansy Parkinson." Narcissa couldn't believe they were going through this again. She still felt like Draco was just a child, and he was thirty two years old. Thirty two. And they couldn't blame Katherine this time.

The secretary turned and picked up Pansy's medical folder, which was being magically updated. "She can't have visitors at the moment. She will be delivering shortly." She pointed to the waiting room chairs. "You can wait over there."

"Is Draco here?" Lucius's voice sounded just as solemn as she felt.

"Yup." Katherine was there with Aurora in a wheel chair. She grinned at the sight of them, knowing exactly how they were feeling.

"I can walk," Aurora grumbled.

"Hospital policy," Katherine said cheerfully.

"Here to gloat?" Lucius asked dryly as she sat down.

Katherine shrugged. "It's an added bonus. And! And!" She pointed an index finger in the air. "I get to skip Sunday dinner."

"And complain about missing dessert," Aurora grumbled.

Katherine ran a hand through the girl's blonde hair. "Worth it."

Awkward silence followed. Narcissa could tell that Katherine desperately wanted to leave but was staying for Aurora's sake. Aurora, who had run off without telling her mother, causing panic throughout Stars Hallow.

"You can visit whenever you like," Narcissa offered. Aurora looked like a startled deer. "I am going to try to get Draco to move in with the baby."

Katherine's eyebrows shot up as Aurora squirmed in her wheelchair and mumbled that she would try. She could practically see the cogs working in Katherine's head. Excellent.

* * *

 _"Send another Patronus!" Kat begged. At the time, she didn't know that Mum couldn't bring herself to actually send it to Draco instead of his parents. She was so angry with him that she never asked. "Mum! I can't do this!"_

 _"Just breathe, Kitty Kat." Dad had an ice pack on his head. Today was the most he had spoken to her in months. "You_ _ **can**_ _do this."_

 _"I'm going to perform an episiotomy, Katherine," the healer told her. Before she could tell Kat not to push, she did and immediately tore, causing her to shriek. At the sound of blood splattering on the floor, Dad fainted again._

 _"Oh for Merlin's sake. LEAVE HIM!" Mum shouted at the healers rushing to his aid. "My daughter's having a baby over here! Maybe if you were paying more attention to her instead of him, this wouldn't have happened!"_

 _"You're starting to crown," her healer said as Dad was levitated onto a stretcher. "Just a few more, Katherine."_

 _"Mum," she sobbed. "I'm going to die!"_

 _"You're not going to die," Mum said softly, looking extremely guilty. Good. She thought not allowing her to have a pain potion would prevent her from getting pregnant again. Well, Kat sure go the message loud and clear. "Come on, Kat. Keep pushing."_

 _"Where is he?" She had been begging for Draco for hours. In her mind, he had ignored her patronus for the sake of his exams. She needed him._

 _"I-I don't know," Mum said guiltily. "Push, Kat! Keep going!"_

 _A high pitched wail made her world stop. How could Draco not want to be part of this?_

"You're almost there." Draco was grateful for the pain as Pansy squeezed his hand. He wanted to faint himself. "Keep going!"

"Shut up!" Pansy screamed. "This is all your fucking fault! You said you cast the charm!"

"I did…" Just not correctly, apparently. They were drunk, and his speech may have been slurred…

"I should have known better than to trust you," she went on shouting. "How many women are you going to get up the duff before you learn?"

Draco almost rolled his eyes, but ended up yelping instead. This time when she squeezed his hand, she twisted. This went on for a few more hours before he was finally here.

"Oh my God," Draco whispered. Pansy immediately recoiled and started to cry. The healers knew why and immediately started to take the baby away to be cleaned. "Wait!"

"Go." Pansy sniffled.

"But…"

"Just go," Pansy said firmly and turned away from him.

How could she not want to be part of this?

* * *

 _"She's beautiful," Dad said. He had said it three times already, but a severe concussion will do that to a bloke._

 _"I know." Kat kissed Aurora's tiny cheek. "I should have gotten pregnant years ago."_

 _The joke just slipped out. She bit her lip and waited for Dad to get angry and stomp off. He didn't._

 _"I'm sorry, Kitty Kat." Dad caressed little Aurora's head. "That I was so angry."_

 _Kat shrugged. "I wasn't too happy with myself either."_

 _"Well I'm glad." Dad laughed awkwardly. "That you had her."_

 _Kat smiled. She wanted to say that she would do it all over again but didn't want to push it. Especially since Draco just walked in the room. Mum left immediately, and Dad reluctantly followed. Before leaving, he clapped Draco on the shoulder, causing him to jump._

 _"She's beautiful," Dad said for the fifth time._

 _Kat didn't know what to say. It was five o'clock. Mum sent the patronus at ten in the morning. Draco just stood there and stared, at a distance._

 _"Do you want to hold her?" Kat held Aurora a little closer when Draco didn't say anything. In that moment, she was afraid that she didn't love him anymore._

 _Robotically, Draco walked to the nearby sofa and sat in it. "She is beautiful."_

 _He wasn't looking at her. Kat was starting to get angry. "She's perfect."_

 _Draco nodded numbly. "I'm sor—"_

 _"Oh my…" Narcissa burst in. Lucius looked at the baby coldly, causing Kat to hold Aurora little closer. "Are you going to hold him, Draco?"_

 _"Her," Kat said flatly. "Her name is Aurora. Aurora Katherine."_

 _Draco blinked in surprise. He didn't know. She didn't consult him at all and didn't care. If he had a problem with it, then he should have bothered to show up._

 _"Lovely." Narcissa glanced at Draco, who's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "I'll pass her to you."_

 _"Don't drop her." Kat wanted to say no, to protect Aurora from Draco's fear, but she couldn't. He was the love of her life._

 _Draco started to cry when Aurora was finally in his arms. Kat knew they weren't happy tears._

Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy. Draco didn't consult Pansy. If she wanted to be part of the decision, she shouldn't have kicked her own son out of her hospital room the moment he was born.

"Hey." Draco sat in the hospital chair and didn't want to let him go. "You're perfect, you know that right?" The reply was a sleepy yawn.

"Dad!" Aurora's eyes were wide with excitement. "He looks like me!"

"Who would've thought albinism was a dominate trait?" Katherine joked.

"I'm not albino, Mum!" Aurora beamed. She was as excited as a kid in a candy store as she looked at the name tag on his plastic crib. "Scorpius! He has an astronomical name like me!"

"Nerd." He wasn't sure if Katherine was making fun of Draco or their daughter. "So I was thinking…"

"Did you hurt yourself?" Aurora, no _Rory_ , shot back with an evil smile.

"I was _thinking_ ," Katherine repeated. "I still got all your baby stuff. And we have a spare bedroom. Dad and Scorpius could fit."

And like that, Rory's joy fizzled out. She still hated him and rightfully so. "Oh."

"Do you really want to see your brother at Dragonfly Manor?" Katherine shrugged like it was nothing. Did Scorpius's existence bother her? He had hurt them both, so it was understandable, but he didn't want Scorpius exposed to it. "I figured you're home every week and…"

Aurora was obviously conflicted. She loved her brother but hated her father. "I-I don't know…"

Katherine laughed evilly. "Well the house is in my name! Too bad!"

"Mum!" Rory turned pinked with anger. "I'll never forgive you for this!" Well, she _was_ a Malfoy, even if not in name.

Katherine snapped her fingers and grinned. "Consider it done."

"I hate you!"

Draco felt terrible as she ran off. "I don't think I can accept the offer, Katherine."

Now that Aurora was gone, Katherine sighed and became serious. "She's a kid, Draco. You know how many times she's said that?"

"One." Aurora wasn't the average kid, and her mother was her best friend.

Katherine didn't correct him. "Well, she's thought it plenty of times. Draco, I've been thinking while staring at your parents' ugly faces for the past five hours, and this is your chance to make things right with Rory. She may kick and scream all the way, but if you want to have a relationship with her, this is your chance."

"She…" Draco took a deep breath. Katherine might brush off _I hate you_ , but he wasn't sure if he could. "She hates me."

"She doesn't," Katherine pressed. "She's still a kid. It'll mean a lot to her in the long run if you try to make amends and don't give up."

Because it was hard. He never did anything that was hard for Rory. He looked down at Scorpius. He wanted to be the man did wouldn't give up for his son. Or his daughter. "I'll do it."

 **Thank you for reviewing myafroatemydog and Padfootette!**

 **myafroatemydog: I think you've given my more than fifty reviews in the past week, so thank you!**

 **Rory was a little bit of a brat at the end, but it was due to a misunderstanding, which will be explained in the next chapter!**


	6. Love

**Harry Potter isn't mine.**

 **This is for gr8roxkstarrox as an early birthday present! Happy birthday!**

Chapter 6 Love

 _"You're home," Kat had whispered to baby Aurora a few days after she was born. Draco was back at school, a fact that was gnawing at the back of her mind. She tried not to think of it as she slowly gave Aurora a tour._

 _"The house elves have everything perfect for her," Mum boasted. "More toys than anyone could ask for."_

 _"I picked them," Dad added proudly. Kat smiled at the sight of a huge lock on the liquor cabinet. The baby couldn't even sit up yet._

 _"Are you sure she should have her own room?" Kat asked worriedly as mother coaxed her up the stairs. "What if—"_

 _"You'll get much better sleep this way," Mum insisted. "Both of you. Perhaps I'll get you a breast pump so the house elves can feed her at night."_

 _Kat frowned. That was the plan for September. "No. I'm her mum. Not them."_

 _Mum sighed like she was being ridiculous. "It's what I did when you were a baby. It's exhausting."_

 _They'd force her to do it in September. Then she'd only see Rory at night, if she was lucky. For now, she wanted as much time with her daughter as she could get. "I'm her mum."_

"You're home," Draco whispered. They didn't speak about Pansy, who left as soon as she was cleared by hospital staff, saying she had a meeting in Hong Kong to get ready for. "Let's give you a tour, shall we?"

Kat watched as Draco treated Scorpius as if he were made of glass. She had been the same way too of course. Rory had been just as tiny.

"This is your sister's room," Draco said as he passed the living room. "She'll visit soon, I'm sure of it. And… I suppose I'll take you up to your, well our room, next."

He hesitated at the stairs, just like Kat had done. Gently, Kat nudged him, just like her mum had done. And just like Mum, she quietly said, "It's okay. You won't drop him."

With a nervous, deep breath, Draco, for once in his life, forced himself to do something he was afraid to do. Kat tried not to be jealous. Why couldn't he do this for her and Rory?

* * *

"Still avoiding home, princess? Two whole weeks. That's a record for you." God he was infuriating.

"Still avoiding Defense?" Rory said cruelly. She pushed passed him and started heading for the library. Two weeks later and she still wasn't in the mood for anything but books. Mum should understand that she didn't want to make up with Dad, and it was her choice. She was almost an adult and wasn't going to be his second doormat.

Ted smirked. "How's it feel to turn into me?"

She wasn't turning into him. She was angry and rightfully so. Rory stuck her nose in the air. "I have to study."

* * *

"Miss Potter?"

A few weeks into class and Kat was finally realizing how hard it was going to be. School on top of working full time and teaching Draco how to deal with a screaming baby was getting to be too much. She was shocked to find Draco didn't even know how to change a nappy. Surely he had changed Rory's, hadn't he?

"Miss Potter!" Professor Zabini repeated causing Kat to snap out of it. Class was over for the night, and she was mindlessly heading out, hoping to get a few hours of sleep before work. "I wanted to talk to you about your Transfiguration essay."

Kat bit her lip. Hopefully it didn't have baby spit up on it… "About that…"

He smiled, making her wonder if he was going to make fun of her. "You got the only O in the class."

"What?" Maybe her sleep deprived brain didn't hear him right.

But no. The grumpy git continued smiling. "This…" He tapped her essay with his wand. It had a big red "O" on it. "…is not the work of a drop out. It's excellent."

That brought Kat back to reality. He had just assumed she was stupid. "Excuse me?"

He blinked in surprise at her incredulity. "I gave you a compliment, Miss Potter."

"I didn't drop out because I was too stupid to finish," Kat yelled. She was exhausted and quick to jump to conclusions. "I dropped out because I had a baby. Do you even know anyone in this class or do you just drone on and think about how superior you are all night?"

Zabini raised his eyebrows as if she were being unreasonable. "I am here to help you get your diploma and nothing else. Sorry for congratulating you. Won't happen again."

Kat rolled her eyes and left.

* * *

Since she was lazy and didn't feel like walking to Hogsmeade to apparate, Kat headed for McGonagall's to use her floo. She didn't even plan on asking. That's how grumpy she was. McGonagall had better watch out.

But instead quite literally she ran into Rory. The two of them stared at each other for a long time and didn't move until Rory picked up the books she dropped. Sure, they had bickered throughout the years, but they had never fought like this before. Her daughter thinned her lips and finally said what had been on her mind over the past few weeks.

"Why'd you pick him over me?"

Kat jumped, as if the very thought would knock her over. "What?"

Rory tried that annoying Malfoy trait of hiding her emotions, but ultimately, the Potter shined through, and her eyes turned a bit shiny. "I don't want anything to do with him, and you-you just let him move in!"

"I… I figured you wanted to see your brother," Kat tried. She bit her lip. "I thought it would be easier for you to see him with Narcissa sniffing about."

"Half-brother," Rory corrected. "And don't deny that this is about him too, Mum. It's always about Dad. You just can't let him go. And I want to."

Kat looked at her feet. She had never wanted her daughter to hate her father. That was part of the reason she always let him around. But only part. No matter how many years passed, she always believed… "He's going to change. He already is and—"

"I'm not falling for it, Mum," Rory said firmly. "And you need to stop falling for it too."

Her daughter walked away, leaving Kat heartbroken. She had to fix this.

* * *

Rory knew that Mum was at a loss, but she never, in all her wildest dreams, thought that she would sic Grandma on her. She was in the library, of course, when the formidable woman was strutting through the books shelves. Several students glanced fearfully at her, probably hoping she wasn't a new professor.

"There you are." Grandma sat down before Rory could make an excuse and flee. "You missed two family dinners. You will not miss a third."

"I've been very busy, Grandma," Rory tried, knowing that all her efforts were in vain. "We have finals before Christmas break—"

"We didn't believe your mother when she said that the two of you were fighting," Grandma went on. "So she opted to tell us that you were in a coma. And you know your Great Uncle Sirius, as gullible was ever." She rolled her eyes and waited for Rory to respond.

Rory ran her fingers over the alchemy textbook she was reading. Books were her only refuge when she was this unhappy. Unfortunately, there was no ignoring Grandma. "I'll talk to her when he leaves again. Maybe when he's not around she'll see reason."

Grandma laughed slightly, making Rory glare at her. "You're just as stubborn as _him,_ as you've been calling him." She held up her hand when Rory started to protest. "You have every right to be angry with him, but do you really never want to see or speak to your father again?"

She wanted to childishly say _Yes_ but knew that wouldn't work on Grandma. As Mum would say, Grandma would peck and peck at you until she until she broke through your shell and got to the meat of the truth. "I was hoping he'd want to change for _me_. Not for…"

It was a horrible thought. She didn't want Dad to neglect Scorpius or be just as flighty with him as he was with her. But still… Why wasn't she enough? Scorpius was, and she hadn't been.

Grandma softened, a rare sight to behold. "He does love you. As much as his very presence irritates me… I know he does love you. It isn't you, Rory. It's the simple fact that it's a lot easier to become a father at thirty two than it is at sixteen."

"It was easy for Mum." Rory pouted slightly at Grandma's incredulous laugh. "You know what I mean."

"Yes, yes I suppose I do." But Grandma was still smiling. "And I know why you're mad at your mother. Although she won't admit it, I'm sure she secretly hopes that Draco will finally settle down and be a father to you and Scorpius."

"She won't admit it because it's a fairy tale," Rory grumbled. Life wasn't a fairy tale.

Grandma shrugged and rose from her seat. "I suppose you'll see at dinner Sunday."

What? She had never agreed to that. "Grandma!"

All she got was a wink. A bloody wink like this was funny. "Six o'clock sharp."

* * *

"We're running late!" Kat whined. The house, like her life, was a mess. Somehow, sixteen years later, she had forgotten how hard it was to care for a newborn. She wondered if her parents had thought she was as stupid as she thought Draco was right now. "You forgot the nappies."

Draco looked at the diaper bag and swore. She had never recalled him being so tired. Meanwhile, Scorpius wailed in his arms, causing Kat to pity him and summon the nappies. From the look on his face, he had lost his wand too.

"Where's the formula?"

"In the cabinet where it's been for the last two weeks." Of course he had yet to make it. Of course. She had just gotten home from work an hour ago. "I'll magically make it."

"He doesn't like it when you magically make it!" Draco frantically looked around the room and snatched up a bottle. A bottle that he had to clean. "I-I'll be quick… Here… Can-can you take him?"

Before she could answer, Draco practically shoved the baby at her and ran to the kitchen. Her heart clenched. She hardly ever held him, and to her, he was just the baby that she was helping Draco take care of. There was no connection, no spark, making Kat feel guilty whenever she held him. As a result, she hardly ever did.

He cried and cried and cried. Kat found herself staring. He was hungry. That's why he was crying so much. He couldn't possibly know how she felt about him, could she?

Within a few minutes, Draco came back, thank God. He smiled tiredly and took Scorpius from her arms. "I'll wait until after we apparate to feed him."

Kat nodded numbly. "Unless you want to be covered in baby barf."

About ten minutes later, they were both ready and both completely exhausted. Now the real fun could begin.

* * *

"Kat! I didn't know you were expecting!" Dad grinned proudly at his own joke as Kat clumsily stumbled through the floo, Draco nervously trailing behind her as he had been since they brought Scorpius home. Sunday dinners were usually a few hours peace, but at hearing that Rory was finally coming, he invited himself and Scorpius.

Her hair was a rats' nest. Makeup could barely cover the dark circles under her eyes and she was pretty sure she forgot to put deodorant on today. Had she been this tired when Rory was a baby? Well yes… but there was a difference. A difference that Kat didn't want to admit.

Dad faltered under Kat's exhausted, somewhat annoyed stare. "Too soon?"

"There'd better be cake," was all Kat would say as she headed straight for the dining room.

* * *

Rory was there as promised, and she stopped her conversation with Mum as soon as she saw Kat. She wouldn't look at Draco or her wailing brother. Mum, being Mum, didn't hesitate to insult Draco.

"I see you haven't remembered to bring your own dessert to tease me with," she said lightly. "I know it is difficult being a first time parent."

Draco blinked, too brain to sluggish from lack of sleep to understand what she was saying, that he hadn't a real parent to Rory. "He's just hungry…"

Rory raised her eyebrows as she forced herself to look at Draco, not used to seeing her father looking so disheveled. Kat sat down and didn't say anything as Draco shrugged with the diaper bag, baby, and bottle. Surely it hadn't been this hard with Rory. Surely…

Dad sat down without a care in the world. "He's got a wonderful set of lungs, doesn't he?"

"He's just hungry…" Draco muttered tiredly as he finally quieted Scorpius with the bottle.

Kat ignored him. This was supposed to be her night off. "Did you get my letters, Rory?"

"Yes, they really kept the fire going, thank you," her daughter said coldly. "Grandma, what's the new house elf's name?"

"Poppy," Mum said calmly as she started eating. "But I didn't ask you to come to discuss house elves."

"Poppy makes the best pudding," Dad butted in.

"You didn't ask me. You told me," Rory grumbled.

The room went silent, and Dad looked afraid for Rory. No one sassed Lily Potter. Her nostrils flared, and Kat was reminded of when she was thirteen and got caught kissing Draco in a broom closet. Mum thinned her lips but was surprisingly kind. Well, Lily Potter kind that is.

"I know it's not your fault that you had children for parents." She ignored Kat's narrowed eyes. "They're trying the best they can even though they are complete fools."

"Mum!"

"And they love you. Both of them," Mum went on. "Your mother truly does think that having Draco around is what's best for you, and your father finally decided he feels like growing up."

"Mum!"

She kept on ignoring Kat. "Because if Kat thought otherwise, she would have cut all contact off with him years ago. And if Draco hadn't changed at all, he would have left Kat with the baby long ago, and he certainly wouldn't have come here knowing that you're so angry with him."

Rory's face turned a bit pink, knowing Mum was right. Ever the Malfoy, she merely picked at her food. Draco's eyes ping ponged from Kat to Roy, waiting for one of them to say something. Kat was afraid to, probably just like Rory was.

"I thought," Kat bravely whispered, "that we'd all be a family again…"

Rory's face turned pinker and pinker until it became obvious that she was holding back tears. "Again? We never were! We were just his frie—"

She darted off so that no one would see her cry. Kat looked down at her feet, not knowing how to tell her otherwise. He always used to just come over for parties, holidays, fun days out, or when he wanted to hang out with them. And when he couldn't come around, it was hardly ever that big a deal. Like when a friend wanted to come play but realized he had other plans.

"I… I suppose I should talk to her," Draco said hoarsely, like he hoped someone would stop him and tell him that he didn't have to. No one said a word.

As he slowly rose from his seat, Dad held out his arms. "Let me see my grandson."

Draco blinked in surprise but wordlessly handed over Scorpius. Kat didn't know how to feel about his easy acceptance. She watched Draco go and felt guilt fester in her chest. Why couldn't she be as accepting as Dad?

* * *

Rory stood by the floo and balled her fists in her eyes. She fully planned to go back to school and act like nothing happened. Maybe she'd write back to Mum next week. Or the week after that. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a tentative knock behind her.

"Grandpa says only Potters are allowed in his office." Rory tried to keep his voice even.

"You know, I thought you'd be a Malfoy," Dad forced himself to say. "I wanted to get married after you were born, but your mother said no about a month before…"

Rory turned to face him. Mum had said no? To Dad? "She wouldn't have."

"She did." Dad smiled grimly. "Said I only wanted to marry her because she was having a baby and our parents were furious at us. I was so angry with her. I even found myself blaming her for things… things that were my own doing. If we were married, I would be around more, I told myself, because we would be living together."

"Would you have?" Rory found herself asking.

"No," Dad said automatically, confusing Rory further. "She was right. We wouldn't have made it. Because a wedding ring wouldn't change the fact that I was too afraid of being a dad to put any of the work in. I was too anxious even to hold you, and I started distancing myself, and I kept saying to myself, she doesn't want to marry me anyway. She doesn't want me around… Once I graduate it will be different… Once I start earning money, I'll make things right… I was always making excuses…"

"Because you didn't want me," Rory said thickly. "Not like you want him."

"That's not true." Dad's eyes filled with tears, and Rory wondered if it was because it was true. He hadn't wanted her. "I love you."

"But you didn't want me." She was crying now too. "Mum said she was scared. She was scared, but then I was born, and she loved me too much to leave me with those house elves! But you left me! You didn't want me!"

"I WANTED YOU!" Dad yelled. He immediately took a step back and looked away. "I wanted you… I… my chest got tight, and-and I couldn't _breathe_ , and I thought I might die, but when I didn't do the things I needed to do that feeling went away and… I wanted you. I just didn't know how…"

Rory wanted to say something mean and hateful, like that he was immature, pathetic, and a liar. She wanted to tell him that he was making up excuses, and he wasn't allowed to be her dad anymore. Instead, the truth slipped out. "But you're willing to fight through that for him." _And not for me._

Dad shook his head. "When Pansy told me she was pregnant, I started thinking about when you were a baby. I was becoming a father again, and I realized I had no idea what to do. I didn't know about any of the things I should have done with you. I remembered that you didn't really recognize me until you were a toddler. I remember how I missed your seventh birthday or your first instances of accidental magic. I've never read to you. I never taught you how to fly a broom. I couldn't stop thinking about you."

Rory kept listening. She couldn't remember having this serious of a conversation with her dad. He was always just her friend. A friend she could goof off with and take to a zoo, but not a friend that she would tell secrets to, not a friend who she would ever confide in. And just when she thought he was going to change, she found it he was having a baby with a woman she never even met.

"And then Snape sent me a letter." Dad laughed bitterly. " _I am very impressed by your daughter's academic record. Only one candidate is chosen every five years, and I would like to know more about her, as I am seriously considering asking for an interview next year._ I read the letter about a hundred times, but it didn't change the fact that I couldn't think of one damn thing to write. It had cemented what I had been thinking about over and over again for months. I fucked _everything_ up, and I so desperately wanted to make it right…"

Rory wiped her eyes and wished her throat would stop clenching. She wished that she didn't care. "I have an interest in Muggle medicine." She swallowed. "You could write about that. Or that I'm deathly afraid of doxies. Or that I know some French from Fleur but only rude phrases. And that I wish my dad would teach me, if he had the time. Or…"

"I have time," Dad said firmly. Dad was never firm. " _Ma fille_."

" _Je n'ai pas le temps pour tes bêtises." I have no time for your nonsense_. Rory bit back a smile when he laughed nervously. "Fleur says that to customers all the time…"

"I want to do better for you," Draco said quietly. "I hope that one day you can forgive me."

"I will…" But she hadn't yet. She needed more than just words. She needed actions, actual effort. "…I have a debate next week. About whether werewolves should be forced to take wolfsbane or not. Friday night at 8:00."

"I'll be there," he said without thinking, without giving a vague, noncommittal answer.

Rory nodded. Part of her wanted to hug him, but another part, a bigger part, wanted to wait until after the debate. Then, she'd see that he cared enough to come. He cared enough to try. "Mum's going to complain about dessert being delayed."

Draco held out his arm, like they did in the old movies. "Shall we face the hungry Potters together?"

Hesitantly, she tucked her arm into his. "I suppose I should save by baby brother."

Dad smiled at her sadly. "You already did."

She wasn't a hundred percent sure what he meant by that…

* * *

"How's being a new mum?" Astoria teased the following Monday. Kat ignored her and poured herself a cup of coffee. Astoria always liked to run her mouth while she was cooking. Any other topic, and Kat would have been joking, laughing, and talking shit with her. "That bad, huh?"

"No," Kat said sourly as she poured a disgusting amount of sugar into her mug. Astoria stopped cooking and stared her down. Tiredness made Kat want to burst into tears. Instead, she took a sip of her nasty coffee. "I thought it'd be easy."

"Having a newborn, going to school, and working full time?" Astoria asked lightly.

Kat shook her head and lead Astoria to the freezer, where no one was around to listen. Then, quietly, shamefully, she whispered, "Loving Scorpius." Astoria frowned. "He looks like Rory. He cries like Rory did. Hell, she even had the same baby smell."

"But he's not your baby," Astoria said understandingly. "Kat, his very existence made you break up with—"

Kat shook her head. "It wasn't his fault."

"Things will change," Astoria tried. "You're exhausted. You're on thin ice with Rory, and you have a million other responsibilities. In time—"

"And if it doesn't?" Kat fretted. "What if I never love him? I'll be that cold step-mum they write books about. He'll be afraid of me. He won't like me. He—"

"The fact that you're worried tells me it will change, Kat." She put her hand on her best friend's shoulder. "Give it time."

That was all she could do. Kat hoped she was right.

* * *

 _Yet again, Lily couldn't sleep. James was out cold beside her, no surprises there. In the distance, she could hear Kat talking to baby Aurora. She talked to her all the time about anything and everything. Books, Muggle TV, food, toys… Two months had passed, and Lily wondered if she was lonely._

 _Two months. Lily tried to be like James and Kat, loving fiercely and unconditionally. Their love for little Aurora was instant while Lily struggled to even look at her. In a way, she was like Draco, nervous, distant, and inadequate._

 _But she also wasn't. Draco loved Aurora in a confused sort of way. He wanted to be the best for her but gave up before even trying, knowing he would fail. Lily on the other hand…_

 _She was disappointed that Kat wouldn't go to college. Deep down, she knew in her heart that Kat would fight them tooth and nail about going back to Hogwarts. All her dreams and ambitions were just…_ _ **gone.**_ _It broke Lily's heart. There was so much she could have been, could have done. Aurora was a constant reminder of that._

 _Such thoughts made Lily feel guilty. She longed to talk to Narcissa, who would dramatically support her feelings, make her feel less guilty, but something stopped her. She didn't_ _ **want**_ _to feel this way. She just did. And she wanted to feel differently. She wanted to look at Aurora and feel overwhelmed with love and joy, just like James and Kat._

 _"Mum!" Kat was crying, making Lily close the book she was pretending to read and sit up in alarm. James stirred in his sleep but didn't budge. "She-she just won't sleep! She never sleeps! I haven't slept in t-two months!"_

 _Lily tried her best to keep a straight face, but her lips twitched a bit, and Kat rewarded her by marching to the bed and thrusting the baby towards her. She had no choice but to take her and that festering guilty hole made her chest tighten. Kat was too tired to notice._

 _So there Lily was, a crying baby in her arms, Kat snuggling up on one side of her already half asleep, and James snuggled to her other side snoring away. Hesitantly, Lily caressed Aurora's tiny cheek, just like she used to do to Kat. It was only sixteen years ago._

 _"Shhhh…" She never thought she'd be a grandmother at thirty six. But then again, who did? Her own mother had been barely forty when Kat was born. "You just want attention, don't you?"_

 _Lily bounced her slightly as her wails lessened and her face went from light red to a flustered pink. Kat had been a demanding baby. "You're cake compared to her."_

 _The crying quieted even more, making Lily wonder if Aurora recognized her voice. She kept her distance, so maybe she didn't. For some reason, that really bothered Lily. She was a baby. It wasn't like she would remember the first few weeks of her life. But still…_

 _"You're mother would've been a fantastic auror," Lily whispered. The baby glanced at her with tear filled eyes. "But, I think she'll be great at whatever she does, don't you think?"_

 _She was rewarded with a slight smile. Aurora didn't seem sure if she was doing the right thing herself. Lily ran her hand through her wispy, white blonde hair and was rewarded with a true smile, a social smile. The guilty hole swelled into something else._

 _"I love you, Mum," Kat mumbled in her sleep. Yes. That's what it was. Love._

"I think he's sick," Draco panicked. Kat was lying in her bed, pretending to sleep. For good measure, she flinched when he turned the light on. "He just won't stop crying! He won't eat. His nappy's dry. He won't sleep… I-I don't know!"

Kat rubbed her ever-burning eyes. "He's probably tired."

"Then why won't he sleep!"

 _Because he's a cranky baby,_ Kat thought as she pushed herself up. "He's probably too tired to sleep."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Surely she wasn't this hysterical with Rory… But he really was trying. And he made up with Rory. Sort of. Like sixty percent made up. Her debate was in a few days, and he was already nervous about going.

With an overdramatic groan, Kat held out her arms. "Here. He probably senses you're upset. Go get some sleep."

Draco didn't seem to want to give him up, still worried that he was sick. "Should I firecall St. Mungo's?"

Kat shook her head as he eased Scorpius into her arms. At the transfer, she bounced him slightly, and he started quieting down. Soon enough, he was completely silent. They took one look at each other and started laughing.

"It's not even… that funny," Draco said between laughs. Scorpius was starting to get droopy eyed. "I really thought he was sick!"

"No. He's just your son." Kat grinned. "And therefore, a brat."

Draco glared at her but said nothing in disagreement. Instead, he reached to take Scorpius from her, but Kat shook her head.

"Get some sleep." She shrugged like it was nothing. "I have off tomorrow. We'll read and do some homework together."

"Oh." Draco pursed his lips, wanting to say more. Kat could see it in his eyes. _This is how it should've been with us, back then._ He wanted to climb into bed with her, and they could act like a proper family. They could take turns with the baby and halfheartedly argue over whose turn it was. In the morning, they'd snuggle with him instead of getting out of bed and starting their day. There was only one problem.

"We'll see you in the morning," Kat forced herself to say. She wasn't ready, and she wasn't sure if she'd ever be. The thought made her heart sink.

Draco looked hurt, but he nodded and went back to his room. Kat wondered if she should explain, but she was worried he wouldn't understand and be even more upset.

"He'll be fine," Kat muttered as the door shut behind her. Scorpius was drifting off to sleep, not a care in the world. She smiled as he sighed in his sleep. "Maybe the three of us can spend the day together. Four of us, if your sister could tear herself away from the books. Nerd."

She talked to Rory all the time when she was a baby. Back then, she wanted Rory to know everything, and when she ran out of words, she read to her, day and night, day and night. She never shut up, Mum would say.

"I'll read my textbook to you and…" Kat paused when Scorpius moaned slightly. Without thinking, she let him suck on her index finger, just like she had done with Rory. "And when we need a break, we'll send funny letters to Rory. Or watch a movie."

When he first came home, she had wanted to resent Scorpius. It would be easier to keep her distance, show Draco how to be a halfway decent parent and then tell him to get a job and move out. It would be easier to be that weird, step-mother like figure, even though she told Astoria that that sounded ghastly.

At first she did and tried to hold on to those feelings. Then she felt guilty and confided in Astoria. She was worried she didn't love him, but as she sat with him like she did with Rory, she couldn't deny how she felt.

"I wish you were mine," Kat whispered, figuring Draco had gone to bed. "I love you, but you aren't mine."

With another sigh, Scorpius stopped sucking on her finger and turned to her, leaning into her chest contentedly. He didn't seem to care, and Kat wished she didn't either.

"But we can pretend." She bit her lip. "Just for tonight."

 **Thank you for the reviews of chapter 5 Ern Estine 13624, myafroatemydog, Padfootette, Guest, gr8roxkstarrox, and** **fanfictionlover1234567890!**

 **What do you think of Blaise?**


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